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Brick Flooring
Brick flooring has been used for centuries in homes and offices, as sidewalks and streets, and for buildings. It's been popular enough that brick pattern laminate flooring was created for people who wanted the look without having the rough texture and challenge of cleaning brick flooring.
Bricks can create almost any look in your home, from casually elegant to practical and welcoming. It's easy to care for and durable. Since you can lay it in any number of patterns, you can create the right look for your home.
Brick flooring consists of thin tiles (usually 1/2" and 15/16" in thickness) that are applied to floors with mortar or other adhesive. The result is a warm-hued and natural floor that can last for many years. For the customer, a brick floor offers:
* fade-resistance
* fire-proof
* resists wear and tear
* anti-slip surface
* beautiful, rustic textures
Brick flooring challenges include:
* more challenging to clean and install
* uneven surface
* rough texture
Interior brick flooring is made by combining finely ground clays, shale and raw materials to produce hard surfaces. The materials are pressed, cut, and fired in a kiln at high temperatures. The result is thin brick flooring tiles that have the durability and beauty of brick and the convenience of tile flooring. Most manufacturers will apply a sealant or a chemical mixture after firing to seal the porous brick surface to make cleaning easier. Most brick floors will have to be resealed after installation to ensure they are easy to clean.
A brick flooring interior can be not only attractive but also quite durable. Brick floors vary widely in hardness, depending on the actual combinations of materials that go into their production. Brick floor tiles that have been made from poorer-quality or coarser-ground materials are more porous, softer, and more likely to chip and crack. Higher-quality brick tiles have a hardness comparable to some ceramic tiles, especially when sealed or treated. In general, customers can often find brick tile floors with a Measurement of Hardness (MOH) rating that is 5 or 6.
Brick floors have been trusted throughout history as practical and durable flooring options. Bricks are in fact considered humanity's oldest manufactured building material. They have been used since 1330 BC for walls, roads, monuments, floors, and other crucial building projects. When you decide on brick flooring, you are choosing a truly historical and well-established option for your home.
Brick floors can sometimes be rough and uneven, however. To avoid this, some customers select brick pattern laminate flooring. Brick vinyl flooring provides a smooth and durable surface, while still retaining the beauty of natural brick.
Some customers also find brick floors challenging and time-consuming to install. While the determined and patient do-it-yourselfer can install brick floor tiles, most customers are generally better off reserving the project for professionals. Many customers are advised to seal their interior brick flooring after installation. Without a sealant, interior brick flooring may be more prone to chipping and harder to clean than other types of flooring. But installing and sealing brick flooring uses lots of chemicals. Consequently, you should hire the work out and arrange to be gone until the floors are completely finished and the house has been well-ventilated.
Despite the few disadvantages, indoor brick flooring is still a good choice. Thin brick flooring provides beautiful and lasting floors for almost any room of the house. Cleaning brick flooring is generally quite simple, as most brick floors are treated and glazed. To clean these floors, a mop or broom is all that is needed. Brick floors can also be vacuumed. Many patient do-it-yourselfers do find that installing brick flooring is possible with a little perseverance and determination. By far the best advantage of brick floors, though, is their elegant durability. Bricks have been used on roads and have been used to create buildings. If brick can make long-lasting roads and buildings, you know they will stand up to years of foot traffic in your home.
If you have always wanted a unique, rustic flooring option, brick flooring is a great choice. The fire-proof and fade-proof brick floor is perfect for adding years of beauty to your home, while increasing its value too.
Comments
Hi Jennifer,
Sorry, there isn't an easier way. It's work - plain and simple. Not difficult, just tedious. Did you seal the brick before you laid it? It makes it easier to clean up the grout that gets on the brick.
The Flooring Lady at August 21, 2008 06:35 PM
We are building a new house and had old brick floors installed in several of the rooms downstairs. Our problem is that the floors were sealed (with a breathable finish) before they were dry after cleaning. As a result they are milky and are becoming much rougher. I do not know how I will mop the floors they are so rough. I have old brick floors in our current home and they are smooth. Is there a sanding process that will help? At this point, what can I do?
Anne at August 29, 2008 08:14 AM
Hello Anne, You've certainly got a dilemma, I hope your bricks can be saved. It's going to take some work though. Brick is porous and sealing them before they were completely dry was a big mistake. You're going to have to try to deep-strip the sealer.
You'll need products like AquaMix SEALER & COATING REMOVER, which is a non-flammable, multi-purpose stripper formulated to stay wet longer which gives the product time to remove most sealers, epoxy grout haze, urethane coatings, synthetic finishes, adhesives, and paints. Also dissolves deep-set stains and removes heavy grease buildup. (Yes, I copied/pasted from their website! ).
You might also need something like their Eff-Ex if the stripper doesn't remove all of the efflorescence (that's why it's so rough).
If you can't find these products in your area, I think you can order from their website, or at least find something similar locally. Their link for the MSDS sheets is located at the bottom of their page.
Best of luck!
The Flooring Lady at August 29, 2008 10:51 PM
Dear Flooring Lady, We bought a 1953 ranch home that has brick floors. Apparently it wasn't laid over a backer board and some of the mortar has come out. We want to patch the mortar but don't know what modern product to use to match the dark gray color of the old mortar. Can you help? Kim and Loretta in Tulsa.
Kim Jones at September 6, 2008 04:54 PM
Hi Kim & Loretta,
It shouldn't matter what kind of grout you use, but might need to buy it in a couple colors so that you can custom mix the color. I find that sand grouts are easier to use for this.
The Flooring Lady at September 7, 2008 11:38 AM
What product/brand name of the film forming finishes would you suggest using on the brick floor and where would I find this to purchase. I have had a brick floor for 20 years and no one can seem to tell me how to finish this. I would like it to have a gloss finish so that I can easily mop and does not yellow.
Barbara at September 8, 2008 10:52 AM
I have been using Quick Shine on brick floors for a long time to give them a beautiful shine. My problem is that the last time I used the Quick Shine, I got distracted after squirking a long stream on the brick floor. When I mopped the floor, I was left with discoloration on the brick where the Quick Shine was squirked. I tried using hot water, didn't work. I tried using more Quick Shine, didn't work. When the floor dried, I am left with lines of spots that look like the brick was bleached. Help!!!!
Is there anything I can do to get these wax spots up? If these are spots!!! If the Quick Shine did "bleach" the bricks, what can I do?
Marilyn at September 16, 2008 09:34 PM
Hi Marilyn, I've never used their products, so I can't tell you what to do, they don't even post MSDS sheets on their website to see what their products are made of and if there's anything to be cautious of (as far as chemicals are concerned). Their phone number is 1-800-255-1891, their website is http://www.hollowayhouse.net
The Flooring Lady at September 16, 2008 09:43 PM
my brick floors previously had a water base polyurethane finish but were flooded during Katrina. Since then I have stripped them and sealed them with a high gloss sealer. I then put a product on top which was supposed to give a higher glaze but it has problems. It lets the dirt get into it so that it can only be cleaned by stripping again. I want to use polyurethane again but was told not to use it on brick floors. Can you advise me? I was happy with my previous polyurethane but it gave off an extreme but that was while the house was under construction and I don't think we could live in it while it cured. It was used for industrial purposes. Can you suggest something by brand name?
Nick at October 1, 2008 02:53 PM
Hi Nick, Sure can........ check out AquaMix products - the link takes you to their page of products that are formulated just for brick.
Good luck!
The Flooring Lady at October 2, 2008 06:03 AM
