Question: What is ThinbrickTM and do you have it available?
Answer: Yes, we offer Old Brick OriginalsTM ThinbrickTM. Satisfy your designer instincts with the easy to apply brick veneer that installs anywhere. Old Bfrick Originals is real, kiln-fired brick that is cut thin, creating flat and corner pieces that are as easy to install as tile. With Old Brick Originals, you can change the mood in any room. Add prominence with a brick archway or cobblestone floor. Leave a wash of mortar on your ThinbrickTM wall for a more distressed look. Outdoor kitchens and fireplaces are perfect for Old Brick Originals. The ideas are endless. Professionals choose Old brick Originals when quality and style are their top priorities. With a dozen unique colors to choose from, it’s time to say goodbye to the plain, white wall, and transform your home with thin brick.
Question: What is the difference in Cast Stone and Cultured Stone products?
Answer: Cast stone is defined as “a refined architectural concrete building unit manufactured to simulate natural cut stone, used in unit masonry applications”. Cast stone is a masonry product, used as an architectural feature, trim, ornament or facing for buildings or other structures. Cast stone can be made from white and/or grey cements, manufactured or natural sands, carefully selected crushed stone or well graded natural gravels and mineral coloring pigments to achieve the desired color and appearance while maintaining durable physical properties which exceed most natural cut building stones. Cast stone is an excellent replacement for natural cut limestone, brownstone, sandstone, bluestone, granite, slate, coral rock, travertine and other natural building stones.
Cultured Stone is a stone veneer product. South Alabama Brick Company carries thin stone veneer products from a variety of manufacturers, suitable for both interior projects (such as fireplaces) and exterior projects (such as exterior cladding for houses).
Question: Why choose brick?
Answer: Brick is made from clay and shale – some of the most abundant, natural materials on earth – and then fired through a kiln at up to 2000 degrees. The reason the brick turns into such a durable material is that the clay/shale unit actually goes through a vitrification process in the kiln, which enables the clay particles to fuse together. Many people may confuse clay brick with “brick” made from other materials. For example, concrete units rely on a cement paste to bond the materials together. Moreover, concrete units are inherently a grayish color, which means that users must inject color pigments before the setting process and use color sealant afterwards to have a color affect. Contrary to some people’s perceptions, clay brick is actually significantly stronger than concrete brick as well. Another brick-like material, made from fly ash, claims to meet the same performance standards as clay brick. Since fly ash has no ASTM standards of its own, don’t make the mistake of assuming that brick-resembling products automatically perform as well as authentic, clay brick.
Question: I have a white powder on my brick. What is this and what do I do about this?
Answer: This white powder is called “efflorescence,” and is caused by water in the wall dissolving mineral salts in the brick or mortar. When this leaches to the surface, the water evaporates, leaving a whitish mineral-salt residue. Most efflorescence is water soluble, so it can usually be removed by washing with plain water when the weather and the wall are warm and dry. This helps keep the cleaning water from causing additional efflorescence. The only long-term cure for this condition is to stop water from entering the wall by ensuring that any flashing or caulking is correctly installed and defect free.
Question: How should I clean my brick?
Answer: To clean excess mortar off of the face of the brick on new construction, see the instructions on every cube of bricks. Other products are available for removing mud, scum, algae, etc. Please consult your representative for further information.
CAUTION: Do not use muriatic acid. Do not use any type of liquid to clean light-colored sand-faced brick. Do not use high-pressure washers.