March 26th 2021
Generally, bricks don't need to be cut. They are sold in the size that you want and are ready to be used for building walls.
But there are some instances where modifications are needed.
There's a number of different reasons why you might cut brick and a number of different ways to do it too.
If you need to cut some bricks for your project, you may be unsure how to proceed.
The easiest and safest way to get brick cut to your specifications, particularly if the task is complicated, is to employ a specialist.
You don't have to look far for that either. Here at Brickhunter we can safely and expertly cut bricks to your exact specs. Just give us a shout.
Below we look at:
The reasons you might get bricks cut.
The dangers of cutting brick yourself.
And, what the brick cutting process entails for a professional.
Why would you want to chop a tough brick in two, chiselling away at a perfect rectangle to make a less simple building block?
Well, there's a few popular reasons.
In some building projects you might need to match bricks that are currently unavailable from manufacturers.
Not all bricks are made forever and different textures, blends and shapes will get discontinued if they fall in popularity. This does mean that if you want to match a pre-existing structure or have a particular visual style in mind, you're reliant on bricks already on the market.
One option is to browse the reclaimed market. But you could also use brick cutting to get a specific shape or size.
Much older bricks have different sizes or thicknesses so your new bricks may need to be cut to fit in with the rest of an older building.
A growing market in the building and architecture world is that of brick slips or brick tiles.
There is a wide variety of styles available and we would generally advise buying specially made brick tiles. They're easily accessible and you can get them installed too.
That said, no matter where they've been manufactured, brick slips will almost always originate from an original clay brick product.
It may be that you have a particular style, colour or texture in mind and want to replicate that in brick tile form.
Fortunately, with brick cutting, it is possible to create a brick slip from existing bricks.
Many buildings need some special shaped bricks so this is one of the most popular uses for brick cutting. If you're buying normal bricks it makes sense to get specials at the same time.
Of course, many brick specials are factory made but buying these can work out more expensive. Alternatively, the one you want may be hard to get hold of.
There's also not as much variety when it comes to colours. If you want something bespoke to your structure, it may be difficult to find the special brick to match.
Fortunately, more straightforward specials such as plinth bricks can be made by cutting the bricks you've already ordered.
If you want to know more about specials check out our post on brick specials.
In some instances, you may be tempted to cut your bricks yourself.
For simpler cuts, that's how it always used to be done. But did you know, that in most regions of the country, regulations stop even bricklayers cutting bricks onsite.
If it's considered too dangerous for people on a building site to do, then it's definitely not something you should be trying at home.
The main reason you shouldn't be taking a saw to a brick is because of the size of the brick. There's almost no guarantee you will have sufficient control over something of that size, whilst you attempt to use a power saw.
There have been incidents of people losing control and the saw flying up off the brick into their face!
The dust coming off the brick whilst it's cut can also be really unhealthy. Now considered to be carcinogenic, even with a mask, you don't want to be creating a load of dust in an area where other people are working.
Of course, you may not have even thought about trying this complicated process yourself but in any case, we want to encourage you to seek out the help of a professional cutter.
And not just because they've got more experience, although that certainly helps.
Brick cutters, whether working with brick merchants or building developers will use specialist equipment at their own premises to do the job.
This is not only more accurate but a heck of a lot faster too. These machines can cut bricks 5 times faster than doing it with other tools. The cost saving of doing it this way ultimately trickles down to the developer and subsequently the homeowner. So, there's a financial incentive too.
When a customer has requested cut bricks and provided the angles required, the work gets done offsite and the finished specials or fabricated bricks are delivered to the site on completion.
Brick cutting machines are water fed, meaning any of that harmful dust is immediately suppressed and taken off the brick and out of the immediate atmosphere of the workers. This also means the cut bricks are completely clean.
If fabricating specials, sometimes cutting specialists will bond two pieces together to create it.
Trustworthy specialists will use BBA approved epoxy adhesive meaning those joints won't open up or crack down the line.
The adhesive will also be coloured with brick dust so that the joint is seamless and to the human eye it looks like a completely clean cut.
Here at Brickhunter we love making it easy for you to build with bricks, so we've added a brick cutting specialist to our list of great offerings.
They use the techniques mentioned above, including strong adhesive, where needed and significant time saving for your project or development.
If this is a service you need, let us know using the chat function to the right and we can get your bricks cut in any which way you want.