Thin Cut Brick

While traditional brickwork is an ancient technique, the first thin bricks only appeared in the 1950s as a lightweight and durable construction material with many modern uses today. Here are some popular ways to add thin brick to your residential or commercial architecture:

• Flooring. Thin brick floors are durable, scratch-resistant, and ideal for indoor and outdoor spaces with heavy foot traffic. They are easy to maintain and can add a rustic and warm touch to a brand new building. You can use different sizes and colours to create rhythmic paving patterns, such as herringbone, pinwheel, and basketweave.
• Building facades. You can create the look and feel of a solid brick wall by adding thin brick cladding over your base construction. Thin brick is not a load-bearing material, and you will need a substructure to support it on the wall. Our Empire Click facade system involves fixing steel channels to the exterior side of the building and sliding the bricks onto the structure using a simple tongue-and-groove joint.
• Step Treads. You can install brickwork stairs to complement your brick floors or create beautiful standalone designs using careful brick patterns and colour choices. We also cut full brick corners to create thin bricks with perpendicular faces ideal for cladding brickwork stairs. Brick is a naturally fire-retardant and non-slip material, making it a solid choice for building safe staircases, provided your substructure is fire-rated.
• Interior walls. Our thin bricks come in 15mm, 20mm, and 25mm thicknesses - allowing you to apply them to most interior walls without creating messy junctions around door frames and skirting boards. These bricks are easy to clean and are popular for decorating kitchen splashbacks and fireplace chimneys. The Empire Stick adhesive brick range is easy to apply and ideal for interior applications.

There are two main installation methods for thin brick: anchoring them to the wall using a steel substructure or sticking them directly to walls and floors using a specialised adhesive. Here are some tips for installing thin brick on an interior wall or floor using the adhesive method.

• Preparing the installation area: Make sure you clean the surface you want to cover thoroughly to remove dirt, debris, and any flaking paint or plaster before applying the bricks. Do not install thin bricks over existing tiles, vinyl, or other finishes that could lift and damage your brick veneer. Plan your layout and allow for any irregular brick sizes you may need for neater results.
• Spacing and placing the bricks: Use a notched trowel to apply thin-set mortar to the back of the bricks, creating a line pattern to help them stick to the wall more effectively. Press the bricks into the adhesive gently, starting from the far corner of the room if you are working on a floor, to prevent walking over the bricks before they are dry. Use tile or brick spacers for neat and even horizontal and vertical spacing.
• Grouting or mortar application: Allow the brick veneer to dry for at least 24 hours before applying mortar. Remove the spacers and vacuum the area to prevent debris from contaminating the grout. Apply mortar across the entire surface with a float tool for a flush finish similar to tiles, or try piping the mortar into the gaps to create recessed joints. Remove excess mortar and wipe the bricks clean once you are happy with their appearance.