Alright, let’s talk about them brick thingies, you know, the ones they use to build houses and stuff. I ain’t no fancy architect or builder, but I’ve seen enough walls in my life to tell ya a thing or two. So, listen up, this here is about brick finishes, whatever that means.
First off, they got all sorts of ways they make them bricks look. Some are smooth, like a baby’s bottom, real nice and neat. Then you got the rough ones, like they just pulled ‘em outta the ground and didn’t bother to clean ‘em up. I reckon them rough ones, they call ‘em “rustic” or somethin’, they’re supposed to look old and fancy, but to me, they just look like they need a good scrubbin’.
Then there’s the colors. Lord, have mercy, they got bricks in every color you can imagine. Red, brown, yellow, even white! I remember when all bricks were just plain red. Now they got these fancy ones, speckled and mixed up like a calico cat. I guess some folks like that, but me, I prefer a good, honest red brick. It just looks…well, brick-like, ya know?
Now, let’s talk about how they stick them bricks together. They use this stuff called “mortar,” looks like mud to me, but I guess it’s stronger. They slap that stuff on and then squish the bricks together. Sometimes they make the mortar lines all neat and tidy, other times they leave ‘em all rough and bumpy. I don’t get it, but I guess it’s supposed to be stylish or somethin’. Seems like a lot of extra work to me. Why make somethin’ look messy on purpose?
- Smooth Finishes: Like I said, smooth like a baby’s behind. Easy to clean, I reckon.
- Textured Finishes: These are the rough ones. They say it gives the wall “character.” I say it gives it more places for spiders to hide.
- Glazed Finishes: Shiny bricks! Like they dipped ‘em in somethin’ glossy. Looks kinda fancy, but I bet they show dirt somethin’ awful.
- Colored Finishes: All them fancy colors I was talkin’ about. Red, brown, yellow, white, even blue! Who needs a blue brick, I ask ya?
They also do somethin’ called “bonds” with the bricks. That’s just how they lay ‘em out, the pattern and all. They got all sorts of names for these bonds, like “running bond” and “Flemish bond” and whatnot. Sounds like a bunch of gibberish to me. As long as the wall stands up straight, I don’t care what kind of bond they use. It’s like them fancy coffee drinks, all them different names and whatnot, but in the end, it’s just coffee.
And get this, they even got special bricks for special places. Like, for around windows and doors, they got these skinny bricks, or bricks with fancy edges. And for the corners of the house, they got these special corner bricks. It’s all so complicated, you’d think they were buildin’ a rocket ship instead of a house.
I’ve seen some houses where they mix and match all different kinds of bricks and finishes. Like, they’ll have smooth bricks on the bottom and rough bricks on the top, and then they’ll throw in some colored bricks for good measure. It looks kinda crazy, like they couldn’t make up their mind. But I guess that’s what they call “modern” these days.
Now, I ain’t sayin’ any of this is bad. Some of them brick walls, they are real pretty. I just don’t understand why they gotta make it so complicated. Back in my day, a brick was a brick, and a wall was a wall. Now they got all these different finishes and bonds and colors and whatnot. It’s enough to make your head spin.
But I guess that’s progress, right? Always gotta be somethin’ new and different. Just remember, though, no matter how fancy they make them bricks look, they still gotta do the same job: keep the wind and the rain out. And that, my friends, is the most important thing about a brick wall, no matter how it’s finished. So, whether you like ‘em smooth, rough, red, or blue, a brick is a brick, and that’s all there is to it.
And one more thing, don’t go spendin’ a fortune on them fancy bricks. A good, solid red brick will do just fine. Save your money for somethin’ important, like a good pair of shoes, or maybe a nice cup of coffee. Just plain coffee, mind you, none of that fancy stuff.
Tags: brick finishes, brick walls, brick types, brick patterns, bricklaying, home construction, building materials
