Angled bricks/ 'Squints'

[Benda Menda]

Anyone out there had any experiences of these? I require a few for a conservatory I'm building (135' corners), I'm not having much success on the small numbers involved. I have been quoted £60 for 20 off bricks (my own) to be 'cut and bonded', could this be a DIY job? What is used for the bonding of bricks?, some epoxy or the like? Ben da Menda

[Michael McNeil]

I'm not sure what the term you are referring to is. Brick bonding is a matter of working out the gaps in between to ensure equal overlaps with the next courses. The joints have to run perpendicular. The cutting probably involves not only angling but cutting to the right length for bonding.

You can buy a small grinder and a diamond blade to do the job yourself for about #30. No guarrantee on the workmanship though but you get an angle grinder with a diamond blade free with every conservatory.

Now tell me where my quid sign has gone and went!

[Simon Stroud]

We have these on our conservatory which has a "5-sided" end rather than

3-sided so the angle is slightly strange rather than the "normal" 135 degrees.

The conservatory co got a quantity of the standard bricks "cut and bonded". The result was very satisfactory and has stood up well for a good few years now. It hasn't all "fallen apart at the corners" fortunately. I've no idea what they used to glue the cut bricks together - maybe it's like those stories about "PVA wood glue is stronger than the wood itself".

Good luck.

Simon.

[dg]

I think these are generaly available pre made from good merchants, and the price you have is about right.

Some alternatives are:

1. Birdsmouth the corner, so that the normal bricks are turned, on plan, to form the angle and the wall bond is maintained.

1. Cut all the bricks (with a mechanical saw) to the 135 angle and have a straight joint up the corner. Use tie wires in the bed joint every 3 course, to hold the two walls together

2. Cut the bricks as above and glue them together with epoxy cement. You need to make sure the cuts and setting angles are true, otherwise you have problems plumbing the face and the corner looks a mess.

Unless you go for the birdsmouth option, the time, cost, dust and buggeration of DIY cuts and mixing and setting epoxy resin, means that £60 is a worthwhile spend. It is a small percentage of the whole cost of the consevatory.

dg

[Rick Hughes]

#

known in the trade as 'cut & stucks' you can get them made for reasonably cheaply.

Any local brick merchants will be able to put you in touch with local cut& stuck shop.

I had a load of specials for a bay window - but needed a few other internal angles to complete the job, found a company that does the cut& stuck ... they charge £3 each plus you supply the bricks.

I watched them being made - dry cut with diamond saw, then a hot melt glue is applied, which set pretty quick - but then it is cured in an oven to get full strength.

They sprinkle dust from the saw over the joint which sticks to the glue making a very next joint.

They can do them while you wait.

Rick

[Michael McNeil]

Well I'm blowed I never knowed.

Whereabouts is this sophisticated service rendered?

[Rick Hughes]

I had them done in Cwmbran .... but there are loads of Brick Specials Services places across the UK ... if you contact your local Brick Merchants they will be able to point you to one (or the manufacturer of the bricks)

This is nothing new - used for years.

They are still not as good as original specials - but certainly vastly better than a brickie and a bolster on site. Once they are in place give a couple of months and they are indistinguishable from clay formed specials.

Rick