Choosing Bricks for Your Build: Facings, Engineering, and Reclaimed Stock
Brick selection affects everything from frost resistance to kerb appeal. Here is a breakdown of the main types available in Kent and when each one makes sense.
Walk into any builders merchant in Maidstone and you will find hundreds of brick options stacked floor to ceiling. The choice matters more than most homeowners realise. Pick the wrong facing for an exposed garden wall and you will see spalling within three winters. Use a soft handmade stock where you need an engineering class B, and you are storing up structural headaches.
Facing Bricks: The Visible Finish
Facings are what people see. In Kent, the most common choices are Ibstock Leicester Red Stocks for new builds, Wienerberger Terca ranges for contemporary projects, and Forterra London Brick for matching 1930s and post-war properties. Colour varies by clay source and firing temperature. A brick fired at 1,100 degrees Celsius will look entirely different from one fired at 1,000 degrees, even from the same quarry.
Texture matters too. Wire-cut bricks have a consistent drag pattern. Pressed bricks are smoother with sharper arrises. Handmade bricks have a creased, irregular face that weathers beautifully but costs roughly three times more per thousand.
Engineering Bricks: Below Ground and Structural
Engineering bricks are classified as Class A or Class B under BS EN 771-1. Class B (the more commonly used) has a compressive strength of at least 48.5 N/mm2 and a water absorption below 7%. We use them for foundations below DPC, retaining walls, and anywhere exposed to constant moisture. Stafford Blue and Accrington NORI are two brands you will see on most sites in the South East.
Reclaimed Bricks: Matching Period Properties
If you are extending a Victorian terrace in Bromley or repairing a Kentish farmhouse near Cranbrook, reclaimed bricks are often the only way to get a convincing match. Reclaimed London Yellows from the 1880s, for instance, have a patina that no modern manufacturing process can replicate. The catch is availability; genuine reclaimed stock sells quickly, and you should always order 10 to 15% more than you need to account for breakage and sorting losses.
We source bricks for every project we take on and can advise on the right choice for your specific build. For more on how we handle matching, see our article on matching new brickwork to old. View our bricklaying services or call us on 07887 895382 to discuss your project.