What are the different types of brick textures available?
As expert brick manufactures with an extensive product portfolio, we have a wide range of textures available. Scroll down to discover more and if you need any guidance, get in touch with our team.
Handmade range
Producing handformatic bricks under our Rijswaard and Sterrewaard banners, our handformatic processes utilise a stock just as with our stock range. The difference is that the clay is coated in sand and thrown into the stock, which creases the brick surface at impact.
The use of the second sand allows a greater variation in surface colour. The result is a brick with increased texture and greater colour variation. Handformatic textures differ between Rijswaard and Sterrewaard, based on our throwing method and the number of sands added.
Rijswaard’s core range utilises clay thrown by a mechanical arm and pressed to finish. This creates a smile-like texture often focussed on the middle of the brick’s face. Sterrewaard sees clay thrown by a belt with no pressing. This creates a combination of softer textures with an area of larger folds in the brick face. Overall, the appearance is softer but with the potential for greater variation.
Stock range
Manufactured on our Press 1 at Risjwaard, our sand-faced stock brick range is created by mechanically pressing prepared clay into a metal box (known as a stock).
The stock is treated with a release sand, which becomes an integral part of the brick’s texture and colour. While only 2% of this applies to the brick's make-up, this sand has a significant impact. Stocks offer a relatively uniform appearance in texture. At the same time, their release from the stock causes subtle bends and imperfections which create a brick often considered prettier or more charming than shape angles.
Blended range
Blending is simply the process of taking bricks manufactured as their own specific product, and factory blending them to create a wider range of colour or texture.
AAB offers blends from almost all manufacturing processes. Indeed, some of our most popular products come from the blended line, such as Selsted Blend and Waterford and Wicklow Blends’
Retro range
Retro takes bricks from Rijswaard’s core range and moves them through our automated tumbling process. Here, the bricks are tumbled by a large mechanical drum.
This uses the impact of its surface – and the other brick surfaces – to soften edges, corners and the face surface, creating a reclaimed style. This process can mix up to three brick types to create varying contrasting shades, with an additional dynamic being added by the addition of white cement in the tumbler. The cement can add contrast to singular colours or add a harmonious tone across contrasting shades of brick.
Sterrewaard range
Sterrewaard is our newest press. Utilising belt-thrown clay and multiple sanding colours. Sterrewaard offers a softer handformatic texture, while still being produced in an energy-focussed environment.
Handformatic textures differ between Rijswaard and Sterrewaard, based on our throwing method and the number of sands added. Rijswaard’s core range utilises clay thrown by a mechanical arm and pressed to finish. This creates a smile-like texture often focussed on the middle of the brick’s face. Sterrewaard sees clay thrown by a belt with no pressing. This creates a combination of softer textures with an area of larger folds in the brick face. Overall, the appearance is softer but with the potential for greater variation.
Slop Moulded range
Slop moulds are produced by forcing clays – with it's surface saturated with water – into metal moulds. This water acts as the release agent, much like the sand in a sand face stock.
Because their release doesn’t involve sand, slop moulds have a unique character, with an exposed clay surface which often offers softer colour tones. Given their exposed clay finish they are also commonly engobed . This means a thin layer of clay is subsequently added to the surface of the just-pressed brick, creating additional contrast in tones. This is best seen in the Sisteron.
Extruded/Wirecut range
Extruded production doesn’t utilise fixed moulds such as stock and slop mould bricks. Instead, the prepared clay is forced with pressure through an open extruder mould creating a continuous run of material faced to three sides.
The continuous material is then cut by wires to form the individual brick height and finish the moulding process. Extruded bricks can offer a variety of finishes, from dense smooth surfaces to roller-applied textures and applied clay finishes. Extruded products generally offer sharper edges and more defined corners, and are often favoured for modern or cleaner aesthetics or for large architectural builds.
The AAB Brick Selector
We have an extensive range of shades, textures, blends and manufacturing processes for you to choose from. Use our comprehensive Brick Selector to search and filter down options until you find the perfect bricks for your project.
