Special Uses of Face Brick
The Glow of the Friendly Hearth
It is the dream of most people when planning a home to have a real fireplace in which they may have a real fire of real logs, around which to sit with family or friends during the long winter evenings. Every home, even one built of frame or stucco, should be provided with at least one real fireplace.
And no matter what kind of a house a man may build, he won’t find anything else quite so good or appropriate for a fireplace as brick. For having stood the test of flame in their making, they defy the flame in their use. The feeling that the roaring fire on the hearth beats harmlessly against the enduring brick, as the sea beats in vain against a granite headland, gives a genuine sense of security and satisfaction. Then the texture and color of the brick make them at once adaptable to any type of room or scheme of interior decoration the lady of the house may choose.
Location
The location of the fireplace in the room is of great importance to its enjoyment. As it is the most ornamental feature of the interior of the house, it should be given a prominent position, but it should not be in the line of travel through the room, near the entrance door, or where a cross draft sweeps it. The far end of the room is one of the best locations; or better still, an ingle nook. If placed on the broad side of a room, it is pretty sure to project so far as to reduce the practicable width of-the room and force the rug over the hearth. If placed on an outside wall, it is best not to have large flanking windows, as one does not like to sit facing too much light, especially where a strong sun is shining.
Proper proportions of the fireplace opening and flue are among the most essential features of fireplace construction. The larger the opening, the larger the fire may be and the more air required or taken from the room for proper combustion, provided the flue is large enough to give sufficient draft. In the average home, the actual inside area of flue should never be less than one-tenth of the area of the fireplace opening. Each fireplace should have its own individual flue carried full size to the top of the chimney without connections of any kind from other sources. A low, broad opening is preferred to a narrow, high one, and splayed sides are best in any case, because better draft and radiation are thus secured. A low, broad opening will catch the smoke better and direct it up the chimney.
The following dimensions for fireplaces are considered good practice:
Fireplace Openings
| Width | Height | Depth |
| 2’-8” | 2’-4” | 17” to 21” |
| 3’-0” | 2’-4” to 6” | 21” |
| 4’-0” | 2’-8” | 21” to 25” |
Arched openings may be higher than indicated in the above dimensions, as their average height may be taken as the top line of the opening.
Construction
The ideal form of a fireplace would be a cone with all sides tapering to the apex for the escape of smoke. Therefore, to approach this ideal in practice, the sides of the fireplace are splayed and the back curved forward as shown in Figs. 36 and 37. This forward curve of the back throws the smoke from the fire forward to a throat 4 inches wide, extending the full width of the opening at the front and top of the fireplace, and at the same time forms a shelf above for the deflection of down drafts in the chimney. The rear wall of the fireplace should never be straight, having the throat at the rear, as down drafts would be sure to blow smoke and dust into the room.
The Damper
Always place a damper in the throat for regulation of the draft. The damper should completely fill the throat. There are many dampers on the market that also serve the purpose of a lintel for the brickwork, giving a smooth surface for the exit of the smoke. These patent combinations of damper and throat give a good draft, prevent smoke, and deserve a more general use.
Especial care should be taken in laying up the brickwork above and around the damper. The joints should be well filled, and nowhere should there be less than an 8-inch thickness of brickwork unless protected by the flue lining.
The Flue
Immediately above the damper, the brickwork should be corbeled in both ways to the size of the flue lining, which should always be started on a line with the middle of the fireplace and run vertically for one length. It then may be jogged over to the location desired on the floor above. It should be started as low as possible as this is the hottest part of the chimney.
The back and sides of the fireplace, as well as the back portion of the hearth are usually built of fire brick. Certain kinds of face brick are suitable for this purpose and have been used by architects with very artistic results.
The Hearth
The hearth may be either of face brick or tile. If of brick, they should be preferably smooth so as to facilitate cleaning. They may be laid either on edge or flat in a variety of patterns. Two examples of brick hearths are shown in Figs. 38 and 39, one with the brick set on edge and the other with the brick laid flat. Tiles may be of any size and laid in various patterns, and if suitable, may be used also in the back portion of small hearths. The mortar joints of the hearth should be thin and preferably of a fire clay mortar, though pure cement mortar will answer the purpose. Wherever possible, an opening and ash chute in the back hearth, with a pit and iron cleanout door in the basement, should be installed.
Always build the fireplace in the rough first, leaving the brick facing and hearth to be finished after the plasterer has completed his work. The accompanying designs, A, B, and C, suggest various methods of treatment.
The possibilities of the use of brick for floors, walks, steps, pergolas, gate posts, seats, and other places about the house and garden are unlimited. For outside work it is a most permanent and beautiful material which never cracks or decays requiring periodic repairs or painting such as other materials do. It may always be the same color and texture as the brickwork of the house, thereby linking the house and garden together into one harmonious whole.
Steps
Brick steps, except where supported by the foundation wall, as shown in our working drawings, should always be laid over a concrete slab, reinforced, unless resting on solid, undisturbed soil. The concrete slab is poured in the form of steps, to correspond to the finished brick steps, but with proper allowance for laying the brick flat or on edge in a cushion of sand, at the option of the owner. Figs. 40-42 illustrate different pitches of steps and methods of setting the brick. Great care should be taken in the laying of brick steps, if they have to withstand severe usage. The joints should all be filled with a rich cement mortar composed of one part cement to two parts sand.
| Fig. 40. Steps with End-set Treads | Fig. 41. Steps with Flat-set Treads | Fig. 42. Steps with Edge-set Treads |
Walks and Floors
Brick walks and floors, with the brick on edge or flat, are usually laid on a filling of cinders or sand, but if subjected to hard use, they should be placed on a bed of concrete the same as steps. Two favorite patterns of edge set brick are shown in Figs. 55 and 56. The brick may be laid flat in the same patterns, but the effect is not quite so pleasing. The joints in the brick walk or floor are usually filled with sand, swept into place with a broom so as thoroughly to fill the joints, but they may be filled with cement grouting if desired. The thin grouting is carefully poured into the joints after the brick are laid, and all grouting that spills on the surface of the brick cleaned off before it hardens. The borders of the walk or floor may be made of brick set on edge or on end; or, if preferred, of concrete, especially when the walk or floor is placed on concrete. If it is desired to prevent grass and moss from growing in sanded joints, mix salt with the sand before filling the joints.
Pergolas
For pergola posts, brick imparts a feeling of strength and solidity, yet care must be taken not to make the posts too large, as they will be entirely out of fit proportion to the light wooden rafters and vines which they support. In most cases, a post 12 inches square will be about the right size. Foundations for these posts should always extend below the frost line and be of brick or concrete. A long, one half inch steel rod with nuts and large washers at each end should be imbedded about 18 inches in this foundation and extend beyond the top of the finished post. The brickwork of the post above grade should be one brick thick, laid in cement or cement-lime mortar giving a hollow space 4 inches square in the center of the 12-inch post. As the work progresses this space is filled with concrete around the rod, which, passing through the center, binds the brickwork together in a solid, reinforced mass (Fig. 43). The cap of the post may be either brick, stone, or concrete placed when filling the interior. The wooden girders of the pergola may now be bolted to the post by means of the bolt projecting above the top.
If conditions or design demand a heavier post than 12 inches square, as in Fig. 44, no steel rod reinforcing will be necessary for stability.
Gate posts
Gate posts are usually lower and heavier than pergola posts and made stable enough to carry whatever weight the iron or wooden gate may demand. Large driveway gates (Fig. 45) should have a steel I-beam or angle placed in the center of the post and extending from the bottom of the foundation to the top of the post. The anchors for the support of the gates should be riveted to this steel beam or angle so that no undue strain will be exerted on the brickwork. The brickwork should always be laid in cement or cement-lime mortar. If ornamental caps are desired, they should be of stone or concrete. On large posts, it is desirable to lay brickwork in some natural bond as this not only increases the rigidity of the post but gives a beautiful effect.
Garden Walls
Long, straight garden walls under 4 feet in height may be built 8 inches thick; over 4 feet high they should be 12 inches thick. If the walls are snort or reinforced at intervals with buttresses they may be only 8 inches thick provided they are not carried up over 6 feet. A footing is not needed but the foundation of common brick should extend below frost line. The wall should be finished on both sides with face brick, laid with cement-lime mortar in a natural bond, and should have a brick rowlock coping laid in rich cement mortar. Fig. 45 gives an idea of a garden wall with soldier base and rowlock coping.