Antique or puristic – achieving expressive brick and tile finishes

Which impression should the wall or roof make: ­antique, showing signs of wear and tear, or puristically monochromic? The client wants an individual touch, and the brick and tile producer wants to make reproducible products. This contribution investigates some methods with which to best implement both trends in the surface finishing of bricks and roof tiles.

1 Introduction

Antique or puristic – as far as surface finishing goes, neither excludes the other. But then, what do those two terms actually mean within the brick and tile industry?

“Antique” is an everyday word that everyone understands as meaning “old”. “Old” is something that was made a long time ago. Exactly when that was is rarely deemed important. Masonry bricks and roof tiles, for example, used to be shaped with the aid of wooden frames and slats, respectively. Over the centuries, the techniques of manufacture gradually changed. All the while, though, roof tiles retained their original...

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