What are brick slips?
Brick slip cladding could be a quick and cost-effective material for finishing the exterior of your new classroom. If you’re looking for an ultra-quick route to cladding a new classroom, then brick slips could be your answer…..
These thin slices of masonry replicate the look of conventional bricks, and can be supplied in a wide variety of styles and colours to suit both contemporary and traditional projects.
What makes a brick slip?
The slither of material that constitutes a brick slip is generally manufactured in one of two ways. The first is simply a modification of the process for conventional brick, which makes for a cost effective product. Extruded clay is run down the production line but, crucially, wire-cut into slimline profiles before being kiln-fired in the normal way. The type is sometimes known as a “performed” slips.
How do brick slips work?
Brick slips are usually supplied as individual units to be fitted to a backing board on site. The process is reminiscent of tiling: horizontal lines are set out to aid positioning: a special adhesive is then applied (either to the substrate in manageable sections or to the back of each tile, as per the manufacturer’s instructions) and the slips are finally set in place, usually starting with corner units.
Depending on the system, you might need to manually gauge the mortar lines with spacer units. Alternatively, the backing board may already be contoured to suit – as with Wetherby Building Systems profiled steel mesh and Wienerbergers corium galvanised steel section. In some cases, pointing between the slips is a case of wet-brushing the existing adhesive, but most systems – for example where you’re using profiled mounting system – tend to require a fresh application of a proprietary pointing mortar.
