Let's consider what is better: plaster or facing brick

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

Stucco or facing brick

Exterior decoration of the house speaks not only about the taste and well-being of the owner. In particular, it should protect the structures as much as possible from the weather and allow the walls to be insulated from the outside so as not to take away the usable area inside. In this article we compare what is better: facing brick or plaster.

Or maybe, as in the photo above, both?

It will be about the advantages and disadvantages of these materials, technologies and the cost of finishing in one way or another. We hope that the following instruction using the video in this article will help make the right choice for those who are going to design the facade, and will give a complete picture of these decoration methods to those who are just planning to build a house.

Stucco facade or brick

Plaster as a finishing material has been used by mankind since time immemorial. Another thing is that with the development of technology, its composition and appearance of the finished coating have undergone great changes. Its main function is to protect and level the walls, while the front brick, despite its decorativeness, is itself a constructive material.

So:

• By its physical and mechanical properties, it is in no way inferior to ordinary brick and can be used not only for decoration, but also for full masonry. Another thing, what will be the price? Therefore, the main masonry is made of ordinary brick or concrete blocks, and decorative brick used for exterior cladding and interior wall design.

Brickwork in interior design

The challenges of brick cladding

Decide what is best for the home: plaster or facing brick, it should be even before its construction begins, and for this reason. Due to its solid weight, brick cladding requires support on the foundation. In addition, it should be firmly connected to the supporting wall, and this is easier to do in the process of its construction.

• For an already operating house, the choice of this type of decoration is not the best, since for this most often you have to dig out the foundation. If its design does not allow to support the masonry in one brick, you need to add the old or build a new base. Firstly, it is very time consuming, and secondly, it is possible to load a freshly poured concrete tape only after four weeks - after a full set of strength.

Brick wall cladding scheme

• It’s only lucky for those in whose house there is a protruding base with a protrusion of at least 12 cm — this is exactly what is required to completely support the brick. In fact, you also need to provide for a ventilation gap, which should be at least 4 cm, without it you can only veneer an unheated building, for example: a barn, a garage, a warehouse.
• However, according to construction standards, a brick can hang a third from the foundation, and these are the same 4 cm necessary for ventilation. But in the terrestrial part of the facade it does not look very nice, and you have to think about how to close this ledge with base trim. If it is necessary to insulate the walls, the width of the support under the cladding should also take into account the thickness of the heat-insulating material.

Leaning brick cladding on the protruding base

• If you really want to make a beautiful brick facade, it is much simpler and cheaper to use for this purpose brick tiles: clinker (see Cladding cladding of facades yourself), porcelain or hyperpressed. Cladding an old house with brick makes sense only when its walls have lost strength, and they need not only a visual update, but also additional rigidity.
• This can be an old brick, log or panel house, which you do not want to demolish. Then of course, it is impossible to think of anything better than a brick cladding, and even despite the costs of top-up the foundation, it is more advisable from a financial point of view. It is clear that in this case the question is: “Which is better: plaster or facing brick?” - not at all.

Natural brick facade cladding

• For high-rise buildings, brick cladding is generally not the right option. Building codes recommend using this type of finish only in low-rise construction. And why such costs, if today manufacturers offer a great variety of facade panels that mimic the texture of bricks!

In appearance, it is sometimes almost impossible to distinguish them from the original masonry, and the low weight, simplicity and speed of installation significantly reduce the cost of objects.

In which case is a brick better

The advantage of front brick over plaster as a method of finishing a brick facade is that the cladding can be made not only in the form of a decorative wall laid out parallel to the supporting wall.

Note! With a wall thickness of one and a half or more bricks (from 380 mm) in the masonry, you can use both ordinary and front bricks, with dressing according to a multi-row system. This, of course, is not work for those who want to do everything with their own hands - it needs certain knowledge and skills. In addition, the craftsmen know many secrets of masonry, which allows you to beautifully highlight the corner and window sills, cornices and other architectural elements of the house, even using ordinary brick.

Relief elements in the corner zones of brick walls

The bottom line is that the ligation of the main and facial masonry in this case is carried out not with the help of anchor elements, but through a certain arrangement of stitch rows. The scheme is selected based on the total thickness of the walls, as well as the dimensions of the brick used for the main and decorative masonry. There are many difficulties, and this work is definitely not for lovers.

At the same time, the front side does not need to be finished, and savings are obtained, if not at the expense of prices for materials, so by reducing the complexity of the work and time that could be spent on plastering. By the way, the question: “Which is cheaper: stucco or brick?”, Is of interest to many of our readers. Let's try to clarify it.

Approximate calculation of the cost of cladding and plastering

When it’s not about decorating brick walls, but the owner of the house decides, for example, how to finish aerated concrete: with brick or plaster, to determine all the pros and cons, you just need to calculate the costs. Let's do it based on 1m2 of the insulated wall and try to compare where there will be more expenses.

Brick wall

Thermal insulation plaster

The beauty of the stucco facade

So:

• According to the list of basic materials, it turns out that plastering walls is cheaper. But the table does not contain a complete list of consumables, since small things are difficult to calculate per 1m2. For the insulated stucco facade, two more types of primer are needed (for the base and the reinforcing layer); glue and flat dowels for insulation; base profile with fasteners; joining profile and plaster corners with fiberglass mesh; plastic expansion joints.
• Do not neglect the fact that with a significant unevenness of the walls, you may need another, leveling, layer of plaster. All this also costs money, and most likely, as a result, the costs will be almost the same. So you can not puzzle over what is cheaper: brick or plaster. It is simply necessary to understand that the brick cladding lasts almost forever, and the plaster facade, at least from time to time, will have to be repainted.

Design of the room with decorative plaster

But you can come up with much more design options with plaster, and your home will have a new face every 5-7 years. Well, as for interior decoration, the plaster is clearly not inferior to its position to any other materials, let alone brick.

You only need to decide which properties of the materials discussed in this article are most attractive to you, and make your choice in accordance with this.