Alright, let’s talk about them fireplace fire brick patterns, you know, the way them bricks is laid out in your fireplace. I ain’t no fancy expert or nothin’, but I seen a thing or two in my days, and I can tell ya what’s what.
First off, folks is always askin’, “Are brick fireplaces back in style?” Well, let me tell ya, them brick fireplaces, they never really went nowhere. They’re like them good ol’ cast iron skillets – always work, always look right. Whether your house is all fancy-schmancy or just plain comfy, a brick fireplace just fits. You can make it look old-timey, or you can paint it up all modern-like. It’s up to you.
Now, when it comes to the patterns, that’s where it gets a bit more interesting. I seen all sorts, I tell ya. Some folks like it plain, just bricks stacked up regular-like. That’s easy enough, even I could do that! But then you got them fancy ones, like that Split Herringbone they talk about. That one’s kinda like… uh… how do I explain it? It’s like the bricks is makin’ little arrows, pointin’ this way and that way. Looks real nice, but I bet it’s a pain in the neck to lay.
Then there’s them fireplaces with the bricks showin’ on the outside too, not just the inside where the fire is. They call that Exposed Brick Fireplace, I think. Looks real… architectural, they say. Fancy word for lookin’ good, I reckon. And sometimes they paint the wood around the fireplace green, like a Brick Fireplace with Green Millwork. Makes it all cozy-like, you know?
- Plain old brick pattern: Easy peasy, just stack ‘em up.
- Split Herringbone: Fancy, with the bricks makin’ arrows.
- Exposed Brick: Bricks showin’ on the outside too.
Now, if you’re thinkin’ about buildin’ your own fireplace, or fixin’ up an old one, you gotta figure out how many bricks you need. Don’t go buyin’ a whole truckload if you only need a few! Them bricks ain’t cheap, you know. From what I hear, each brick is somethin’ like 9 inches long and 4 and a half inches wide. And they say you gotta do some figurin’ with them numbers, somethin’ about square inches and square feet. Sounds complicated, but I guess it ain’t too bad if you got a pencil and paper.
They say you gotta take the size of the brick, somethin’ like 40.5 square inches, then you gotta turn that into square feet, which is like… 0.28 square feet. Then you measure how big your fireplace is, say it’s 12 square feet, and you divide that by the brick size. So, 12 divided by 0.28 is… what? 42.85 bricks? So, you’d need somethin’ like 43 bricks. See? Not so hard after all. Just gotta remember your numbers, which ain’t always easy for an old gal like me.
And don’t forget, you gotta use special bricks for the inside of the fireplace, where the fire is. They call ‘em firebricks or refractory bricks, somethin’ like that. They’re made special to handle the heat, so your regular bricks don’t crack and fall apart. They got stuff in ‘em like alumina and silica, whatever that is. Just make sure you get the right kind, that’s all I’m sayin’.
So, there you have it. A little bit about fireplace fire brick patterns, from a plain ol’ person who’s seen a thing or two. Whether you like it fancy or plain, just make sure it’s safe and warm. And don’t forget to clean out the ashes every now and then! Nothin’ worse than a smoky fireplace, I tell ya.
In short, brick fireplaces are timeless. You can choose simple or fancy patterns. Just make sure you use the right bricks and figure out how many you need. And keep it clean! That’s about all there is to it.
Tags: [Fireplace, Fire Brick, Brick Patterns, Home Improvement, DIY, Fireplace Design, Herringbone, Exposed Brick, Refractory Brick, Home Decor]
