Expanding market for brick slips
The rising popularity of brick slips is
evident from the growing number of
companies now selling them. Once
considered a niche product, the speed
and flexibility brick slips offer has
made them a popular choice across
the building industry as a whole and
has resulted in a rapidly expanding
market.
Eurobrick has been supplying brick
slips independently and as part of
their own cladding systems for nearly
30 years. In recent years, they have
noticed an increase in enquiries for
larger projects from construction
companies who are now opting to
use brick slips and systems. Director
Richard Haines tells us more,
“The on-going housing crisis along
with construction skills shortages,
have resulted in a move towards
modern methods and off-site
construction. Companies are actively
looking for ways to do things quicker,
meet challenging deadlines and
hopefully save on costs, without
compromising on build quality.
The brick shortages experienced a
few years ago forced the building
industry to look for alternatives. At
the time, we were able to maintain
our supply chain, as historically,
brick slip manufacturers formed a
small, specialised market and were
generally less prone to the pressures
being experienced by the industry at
that time. However since then, those
companies have realised the many
advantages that come with brick
slips and cladding systems, they have
returned time and time again, even
when brick shortages were becoming
less of an issue. As a result, here at
Eurobrick, we have just had our best
two years trading ever.
Whether it’s a new build,
refurbishment or interiors project,
there are flexible solutions that can
be applied to different substrates and
installed on- or off-site. Application
in a factory environment has the
appeal of allowing for greater quality
control and increasing the speed of
installation, and means the weather is
no longer an influencing factor.
Many systems can also be applied
using semi-skilled labour, which
helps with any issues related to skills
shortages too.
People may not always think of brick
when they think of modular building
or modern methods of construction,
and yet brick is still a highly sought
after and popular finish within the
UK building industry. While modern
methods may not necessarily work
so well alongside traditional brick
building, brick slip cladding provides
an alternative that is fast, flexible and
easy to transport and we believe the
sector will continue to expand in the
coming years.
Retrofit or refurbishment projects can
also benefit from an ever evolving
range of brick slip colours and
finishes. Whether you want to blend
in with an existing building or have to
comply with a planning requirement,
brick matching or sourcing can help.
Older buildings may need insulation
and this can be added by retrofitting
an insulated system to dramatically
improve the thermal performance of a
building.
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Leisure and retail markets have long
recognised the benefits of brick slips
and cladding systems for interiors
too. Whether applied directly to the
substrate or as part of a system, the
slimline profile minimises loss of
valuable floor space and provides
a finish that is characterful and
indistinguishable from traditional
brickwork.
Just to be clear, our brick slips are
still real bricks. Some of our slips are
manufactured as slips (extruded slips)
using natural clay and fired in the
same way as traditional bricks, and
some are cut from whole bricks. They
provide a real brick finish with the
same low maintenance and durability
benefits.”
Eurobrick was first to introduce a
comprehensively designed brick
cladding system to the UK in 1990 and
include a 25 year guarantee with all of
their systems.
Find out more at
www.eurobrick.co.uk.