What tool does a bricklayer use to spread mortar?
AnswerA trowel
A flat, pointed trowel is used to scoop, spread and shape mortar.
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Brick facts & stats
8 fact-checked facts about bricks, each with the reason behind it. 4 more are in today's round and join this page after it closes.
The basics
What are sun-dried mud bricks called in Spain and the American Southwest?
AnswerAdobe
Adobe bricks are made of earth and straw and dried in the sun rather than fired.
Going deeper
What is one horizontal row of bricks in a wall called?
AnswerA course
Bricklayers build walls course by course, one horizontal layer at a time.
A brick laid with its long side showing on the wall face is called a...
AnswerStretcher
Stretchers show their long face; headers show their short end.
What mainly gives many fired bricks their red colour?
AnswerIron oxide in the clay
Iron compounds in clay oxidise during firing, turning bricks red.
Which ancient gate was built of blue glazed bricks decorated with dragons and bulls?
AnswerThe Ishtar Gate of Babylon
The Ishtar Gate was built around 575 BC under Nebuchadnezzar II and is now reconstructed in Berlin.
Expert level
What is the white, powdery salt deposit sometimes seen on brick walls called?
AnswerEfflorescence
Efflorescence forms when water carries salts to the surface and evaporates, leaving crystals.
In Flemish bond, which two brick orientations alternate within each course?
AnswerHeaders and stretchers
Flemish bond alternates a header and a stretcher along every course.
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