Brick Flooring
A brick floor is defined as a floor surface constructed out of many individual bricks laid like tiles, either with or without mortar or grouting.
Red brick is used for the flooring which is made from clay. Red brick is the most popular and leading building material because it is cheap, hard, durable and easy to handle and to work with. Brick flooring is derived from pavers, which are thinner than the regular bricks used in walls and other structural elements. Brick Flooring is commonly used in godowns; ware houses, residential houses, garden, roads and in areas where good bricks are available.The bricks shall be laid on the edge; in diagonal herring bone bond or other patterns. They may also be set in the principal direction of the hall.
Over the layer of lean cement concrete mix, flooring shall be laid over well compacted and levelled ground. Cement concrete bed 10 to 15 cm thick is laid and rammed. The base concrete shall be provided with the slope required for the flooring for water to drain naturally. Over this bedding, bricks are placed in proper bond on their edges. Sometimes, the joints are pointed to obtain a better appearance.
Floors in verandah, courtyard, kitchens and baths shall have slope ranging from 1: 36 to 1: 48 depending upon locations for drainage of water or down take pipes.
Before laying the flooring the base shall be wetted and smeared with a coat of cement slurry at 2 kg of cement spread over an area of one sq. m so as to get a good bond between sub-grade and flooring. Ordinary mortar is used for setting in the position of bricks.
Brick Flooring is durable and provides sufficiently hard floor surface. It provides a non-slippery and fire resistant surface. It is cheaper in initial cost as compared to cement concrete, mosaic, terrazzo and vitrified tiles flooring.
Brick flooring is so heavy in weight that they should be used on first floor installations. Brick Flooring is very hard and solid. Brick is very porous material. If liquids are spilled on the unprotected surface then they will get absorbed into the brick. These will cause staining and mildew are created in brick flooring. So these floors need to be sealed periodically with chemical agents. Brick flooring was used when tiles were not used. Remember, Use good quality bricks. Poor bricks will cause wear and tear of the floor as well as it will create a crack in flooring. Nowadays it is used as a part of the hard landscape in external areas of the house.
