Glossary of Usual Terms in Brick Laying
Angle Iron. A structural piece of steel in the form of a 90° angle used in certain situations to sustain brickwork.
Backing. The part of the wall behind the face brick.
Bat. Any part of a brick intentionally or accidentally broken off.
Bed. The horizontal surface on which the bricks of the wall lie in courses. Also, the mortar on which the brick rest.
Bed Joint. A joint between two horizontal courses of brick.
Belt Course. A horizontal course of brick or other material usually projecting, and generally in line with window sills or heads.
Bench-Mark. A well defined mark, accurately established, in a protected location on some immovable object, as a point of reference.
Bond. The overlapping of brick in various ways so as to give both longitudinal and transverse strength to the wall, and at the same time produce a pleasing appearance.
Breaking Joint. The placing of brick so that no two vertical or head joints come immediately over one another.
Buttered Joint. A very thin mortar joint made by scraping a small quantity of mortar with the trowel on all edges of the brick and laying it without the usual mortar bed.
Cell. One of the hollow spaces in building tile.
Centering. The temporary frame or template on which an arch is turned.
Chase. A vertical recess on the inside face of a wall formed by omitting one or more bricks in each course to accommodate plumbing, heating, or other pipes.
Chimney Breast. The projection on the interior or exterior face of a wall caused by fireplace or flues.
Closure. A quarter or three-quarter brick to close, when required, the end of a course, as distinguished from a half-brick. This term equally applies to tile.
Coping. A row of brick, usually projecting, used to cap or finish the top of a wall and protect it from the weather. It is usually laid up in very rich Portland cement mortar with tooled joints.
Corbel. One or more courses of brick projecting from the wall to form a support.
Course. A horizontal row of brick in a wall.
Culling. Sorting brick for size, color, and quality.
Culls. The brick rejected in culling.
Diaper. Any continuous pattern in brickwork of which the various bonds are examples. It is usually applied however, to diamond or other diagonal patterns.
Edge-set. A brick set on its narrow instead of on its flat side.
Efflorescence. The deposition of a white powder or crust on the surface of brickwork, due to soluble salts usually in the mortar but sometimes in the brick, and, drawn out with the moisture by the sun, left as a deposit on the surface. Brick clays containing these salts are now cured by using a carbonate of barium. Against mortar efflorescence care should be taken to protect all brickwork at eaves and sill courses from excessive moisture. Also Whitewash or Whitewashing.
Face Brick. A well-burned brick, especially prepared, selected, and handled to secure attractive appearance in the face of a wall, as distinguished from common brick as used for backing or other structural work.
Face. The long, narrow side of a brick, specially treated in the manufacture of face brick to produce certain color tones and textures.
Fire Stop. A projection of brickwork on the walls between the joists to prevent the spread of fire or vermin.
Flat Stretcher Course. A course of stretchers set on edge and exposing their flat sides on the surface of the wall. Frequently done with brick finished for the purpose on the flat side, such as enameled or glazed brick.
Flue. A passage in a chimney especially for the exit of smoke and gases, one or more of which may be enclosed in the same chimney.
Flue Lining. A smooth one-celled hollow tile for protecting flues.
Footing. The broadened base of a foundation wall, or other super-structure.
Green Brickwork. Brickwork in which the mortar has not yet set.
Grout. Rich mortar made very thin so that it will readily run into the joints of brickwork and fill them.
Header. A brick laid on its flat side across the thickness of the wall, so as to show the end of the brick on the surface of the wall.
Header Course. A course composed entirely of headers.
Head Joint. A joint between the ends of two bricks in the same course. Also Vertical Joint.
Hearth. That portion of a fireplace level with the floor, upon which the fire is built. The rear portion extending into the fire opening is known as the back hearth.
Lead. A part of the wall at the corners, or elsewhere when needed, built in advance of the rest of the wall as a guide to which the line is attached.
Lime Putty. Slaked lime in a soft puttylike condition before sand or cement is added.
Line. The string stretched taut from lead to lead as a guide for laying the top edge of a brick course.
Lintel. A horizontal support for brickwork over an opening.
Mantel. A shelf projecting beyond the chimney breast above the fireplace opening.
Nogging. A filling of brick between the roof rafters from wall plate to roof boards for the purpose of making the building wind-tight.
Pointing. Inserting mortar into the joints after the brickwork is completed, in order to correct defects left in the progress of the work.
Quoins. Projecting courses of brick at the corners of buildings as ornamental features.
Racking. Laying the end of the wall with a series of steps so that when work is resumed, the bond can be easily continued. More convenient and structurally better than toothing.
Reveal. The vertical side of a window or door opening from face of wall to frame.
Rowlock Course. A course of headers laid on the edge instead of on the flat side of the brick as usual.
Salmon Brick. The softer brick of the kiln suitable for places protected from outside exposure or where great crushing strength is not required.
Selects. The bricks accepted as the best after culling.
Shove Joint. A vertical joint filled by shoving the brick, when it is being laid in the bed of mortar, against the next brick. Also Shoved Joint.
Skewback. In brickwork, a brick or stone cut to make an inclined surface for receiving thrust or pressure, as of an arch.
Slush Joint. A vertical joint filled by throwing mortar in with the trowel after the bricks are laid. Also Slushed Joint.
Smoke Chamber. The space in a fireplace immediately above the throat, where the smoke gathers before passing into the flue, and narrowed by corbeling to the size of the flue lining above. Also Smoke Cavern.
Soldier Course. A course of stretchers set on end with the face showing on the wall surface.
Splay. A slope or bevel, particularly at the sides of a window or door.
Story Pole. A pole on which the height from joist to joist, as well as all intermediate openings, brick courses, etc., is indicated.
Stretcher. A brick laid on its flat side so as to show its face on the surface of the wall.
Template. Any form or pattern, such as centering, over which brickwork may be formed.
Thickness of Wall. The thickness of a wall stated in terms of brick, inches, or tiers, thus:
| In Number of Brick. | In Inches. | In Tiers. | |
| One | brick | 4” | 1 tier |
| Two | ″ | 8” or 9” | 2 tiers |
| Three | ″ | 12” or 13” | 3 tiers |
| Four | ″ | 16” or 17” | 4 tiers |
Throat. An opening at the top of a fireplace through which the smoke passes to the smoke chamber and chimney.
Tier. One of the four-inch, or one-brick, layers in the thickness of a wall. (Gilbreth).
Toothing. The method of building the end of a wall so that the end stretcher of every alternate course projects one-half its length, against which another wall may be built.
Toothing-in. Joining a new wall to an old toothed wall.
Trimmer Arch. A brick arch built in front of and below a fireplace opening to support the hearth, abutting on the fireplace foundation and thrusting against the header joist.
Tuck-pointing. The filling in of joints in old brickwork with fresh mortar, usually cement.
Vertical Joint. Same as Head Joint.
Washing Down. Cleaning the surface of the brick wall, after it is completed and pointed, with a mild solution of muriatic acid.
Water Table. A slight projection of the lower courses of brickwork at the base of a building.
Webb. The thin wall bounding and separating the cells in hollow tile.
Whitewashing, Whitewash. See Efflorescence.
Wind Shelf. The ledge back of the damper at the bottom of the smoke cavern.
Withe. A partition between two flues in the same chimney.