Bradstone Masonry

Masonry

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Block Walling The Bradstone range of walling combines the look and feel of traditional natural stone with the high performance, long life and low maintenance qualities of modern materials. Bradstone reconstructed stone walling is the accepted economical and environmental alternative to natural stone, yet is comparable with the cost of quality facing bricks. Cast in moulds (produced after studying hand dressed stone), the techniques perfected result in a high quality product which captures the aesthetic detail of the original material but in rational sizes for ease of construction.

Bradstone Masonry Block Walling has been developed as a simple and ingenious method of reproducing the appearance of traditional random rubble walling found in natural stone areas. With this walling, the coursing is not apparent and Bradstone Masonry Blocks are cast in a unique T shape with false joints so that they appear to be made of several individual stones. A single sized infill block is the only other component involved in the system. To allow this product to achieve its designed intention of closely resembling original random rubble walling, it is vital that the false joints are pointed. Bradstone Masonry Block Walling consists of walling and infill blocks with matching accessories including optional corner treatments (dressed ends, return ends or 'L' quoins), soldier course, plinth and sill blocks.

Bradstone Masonry Block walling is available in the following shades:

Weathered Limestone

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Weathered Cotswold

Limestone Grey

(Made to order only)

Features & Benefits • Unique 'T'-shaped block system gives a traditional • Can be built by any competent brick layer random rubble stone wall appearance when • Can be laid to a 450mm module achieving standard constructed wall tie positions and window/ door heights • Produced in moulds originated from natural stone • High quality, durable building material masters to ensure authentic character and detail of • Accepted in appropriate Areas of Outstanding original stone Natural Beauty • Three shades available to suit regional differences • Full technical support • A considerable number of profiles available • Mortar joints and filled false joints create an eliminating the appearance of repetition effective coursing pattern • 100mm width on bed for conventional cavity wall • Economic alternative to random rubble masonry construction 3

The natural choice The Bradstone team appreciates the complexities of a new build project and understands how daunting an experience it can be. The team offers support and guidance from concept to completion and will discuss different options available for your home.

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Accessories There is a range of accessories available allowing a variety of details, features and effects to be achieved to suit local characteristics or personal choice.

Window detail finished with Lintel and Dressed Ends at reveals

Splayed Plinth used at ground level with window showing a smooth Sill and finished with a Lintel

Return Ends used for window detail

Dog Leg Return Brick to form arch

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Quoins used for corner detail

Dressed End Blocks at door reveals

Return End Blocks at corners

Dog Leg Return Brick to form arch 7

Extending the boundaries Extend the beauty of your home to your gateway and gardens.

Bradstone's versatility makes it particularly effective at creating an old world ambience around the home, especially when used for characteristic features including boundary and garden walls, entrances and pillars.

Bradstone makes your house a home If you desire the charm and distinctive appeal of natural stone, Bradstone is an authentic, cost effective and environmental alternative. Bradstone Masonry Walling is a reconstructed stone system with a unique aesthetic appearance - perfect if you crave the beauty of natural stone without the inconvenience. Bradstone achieves a quaint, charming appearance which blends with traditional and contemporary house designs. The versatility of Bradstone's extensive accessory range enables you to add a touch of individuality to create the home of your dreams‌

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Commercially viable Bradstone Masonry Walling offers commercial developers the opportunity to create unique contemporary or traditional designs which reflect the warmth and charm of stone. Bradstone Walling is commercially viable representing an economical and environmental alternative to natural stone and build time is significantly reduced from that of natural stone. It offers rapid construction, consistent quality, durability and, of course, is aesthetically pleasing. Unlike natural stone, Bradstone is suitable for both conventional cavity wall and timber frame construction.

Bradstone Masonry Walling is a versatile building material suitable for commercial new builds and redevelopment projects, especially when the design brief requires innovative designs reflecting character and warmth. Bradstone's subtle hues blend with traditional or contemporary designs to create a natural fusion between old and new.

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Construction practice

Method of construction Bradstone Masonry Walling is laid with the ‘T’ shape alternating stem up, stem down. The Infill Block is supplied at a rate of 45 No. to 64 No. T Blocks

Window detail showing construction of Return/Dressed Ends

337 x 225 Return/ Dressed End

225 x 225 Return/Dressed End

There are two principle methods of constructing corner details when using Bradstone Masonry Walling.

100mm

150mm Cut Stalk

DPC 225mm

200mm

Finished Ground Level

Sneck

Corner using 337 x 225mm Dressed Ends or Return Ends

Corner using 450 x 225 x 225mm plain ‘L’ quoins

Splayed Plinth detail For the initial course and again above the DPC, every other T Block should have its stalk removed. Start laying at the corners and work in to the middle alternating the ‘Stem Up’ T Block with the cut T Block. The cut stalk pieces are then cut in two and used to form the sneck at the corners.

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Weathering The nature, extent and visible effects of weathering will depend upon the location, degree of exposure and prevailing weather conditions and the effectiveness of the architectural detailing.

Bradstone walling will weather much as indigenous natural stone exposed to the same conditions.

Bradstone cannot be held responsible for the apparent fading of colour or any other effect on the appearance of any product due to 'efflorescence' which is a characteristic of all good quality products with a high cement content.

The effect generally disappears with time.

Sitework Bradstone Walling is constructed in a similar manner to conventional brickwork and all relevant regulations and Codes or Practices should apply, including the relevant Health and Safety statutes.

Similar principles and practices used with conventional brickwork also apply to the construction of Bradstone Walling.

Strict attention should be paid to cleanliness of the cavity and dpc detailing.

Bradstone Masonry Walling can be worked and cut using a bolster or con saw in much the same way as concrete blocks and bricks. Recessed false joints on blocks and accessories provide natural cutting guides.

Newly laid blockwork should be protected from rain with weatherproof sheeting and securely anchored. Improvised cover is unlikely to provide effective protection and the use of heavy objects, such as scaffold boards, may cause actual damage to the edges and faces of the blockwork, when placed in position.

Particular care must be taken to cover securely all new work if there is any likelihood of frost or other extremes of weather.

Setting Out Always set out the first course of masonry, either dry with timber joint spacers or with the use of a gauge rod. This should ensure accurate setting out and reduce unnecessary cutting and adjusting of blocks at openings where correct bonding is essential. Broken or uneven bonding at openings can increase the risk of cracking.

Movement Control Blockwork may crack because of differential changes in dimension within the wall or because of relative movement between the wall and adjacent structures.

These cracks, although not necessarily serious from the view of stability, look unsightly and may have a detrimental effect on the performance of a wall as regard to weather resistance, thermal insulation, etc.

Cracking may be caused by a number of factors: 1. Moisture movement of units 2. Deflection i.e. by floor soffits, etc 3. Thermal movement 4. Chemical attack 5. Impact The incidence of visible cracking in most of these cases may be reduced by the correct procedure at the design stage in deciding the location and type of movement joints and mortars, etc. BS5628: Part 3: 2001, Clause 5.4 (Movement in Masonry). As a general rule, vertical joints to accommodate horizontal movement should be provided at intervals of 6m. They may be formed as a straight butt joint, or in toothed fashion in the coursework using a separating medium such as DPC material and subsequently pointed with a suitably coloured mastic.

Movements due to Thermal Effects In general, movements due to normal changes in temperature of internal walls are likely to be small and are not an important cause of cracking.

However, in long walls or partitions where variations in temperature are likely to be large, care should be taken to accommodate movement.

Moisture Movement All concrete units shrink slightly after manufacture but part of this shrinkage is reversible due to dry units expanding slightly when wetted. However, care should be taken to ensure that all units comply with the relevant British Standard for drying shrinkage requirements. To minimise moisture movement, all concrete precast units should be kept as dry as possible prior to laying and when laying, they should not be soaked in order to adjust the suction for the mortar.

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Differential Movement If practical, products with different characteristics should not be rigidly bonded together. Thus clay and concrete units should not be mixed unless consideration has been made into allowing independent movement.

All concrete products shrink slightly over a period of time, the initial shrinkage taking place during the first six months to a year. Likewise some clay bricks, especially kiln fresh bricks expand significantly in their early life. Experience has shown that kiln fresh clay bricks built on top of concrete brick plinth walls may cause severe cracking in the plinth wall. Where dissimilar materials are used, for example, in cavity walls, it is good practice to avoid the use of rigid ties and permanent bonding together of brick or block work with the opposing component.

Generally, the shape of the panels is critical in deciding susceptibility to cracking. It is more likely to occur if the length exceeds about 1.5 to 2 times its height.

Care should be taken that there is no excessive end restraint and if lateral stability is likely to be affected then dowels, one end of which is not fixed, should be used to provide stability.

Damp Proof Courses All damp proof courses should be selected and installed to comply with British and Irish Standards and codes of practice.

Wall Ties Wall ties should be metal ties to BS 1243 or other approved ties and should be bedded to a minimum depth of 50mm.

Additional ties should be provided within 225mm of all openings such that there is at least one for each 300mm of height and opening. Consideration should be given to providing additional flexible ties across the cavity adjacent to movement joints. Butterfly wall ties are generally recommended for party walls to maximise sound insulation.

Dependant on total cavity width, appropriate wall ties and spacing may be selected from the table below.

Wall Ties Width of cavity

Horizontal Spacing (mm)

Vertical Spacing (mm)

50-70mm

900

450

76-100mm

750

450

Or such spacing as required to maintain the equivalent number of ties per square metre

Ordering Where Bradstone Sills or Lintels are required, these are purpose made for each project. As alterations to design are common, they cannot, therefore be manufactured until sizes are confirmed to us in writing.

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Technical Services A free quotation service and advice on the use of Bradstone Masonry Walling is available from our sales office in Toomebridge.

Delivery and Handling Bradstone Masonry Walling is supplied on shrink wrapped pallets and delivered on a 40Ft trailer. The blocks should be unloaded carefully to avoid damaging edges and faces.

Blocks should be stacked bed on bed on a hard, level surface, clear of other materials and protected from rain.

Mortar Joints To ensure consistency of pointing, joints should either be filled in as the work proceeds, or the entire wall should be pointed as the scaffolding is dismantled, working from top to bottom.

It is important to ensure that the joints between blocks are completely filled with mortar.

For maximum weather resistance in exposed areas, joints should be flush pointed or curved recessed (bucket handle).

Section View Flush Pointed

Curved Recessed

Type iii mortars are suitable for low-to high-risk saturation conditions, with or without freezing, and are mechanically suitable for all walling block ranges.

Type iii mortar mixes, with the equivalent masonry cement and plasticised cement options are shown in the table below; different types within any one designation are approximately equivalent in compressive strength and do not generally differ greatly in their other properties. In single-skin work, weather resistance can be enhanced with the inclusion of an integral waterproofing agent within the mortar, mixed and worked in accordance with proprietary instructions.

Generally for cappings, copings and sills, Type ii mortar (1: : 4-4 - cement:lime:sand) should be used.

For special applications, not covered by the Type iii mortars detailed above, including those for use in extreme climatic conditions, or highly polluted or marine environments, technical guidance is available on request from our Technical Support. For further information, see BS 5628: Part 1: 1992 (Structural use of unreinforced masonry) and Part 3: 1985 (Materials and components, design and workmanship) for details of Mortar Types i-v (table 15).

Mortar Types

Mortar Mix

Cement: Lime: Sand

1:1:5-6*

Masonry Cement: Sand

1:4-5**

Cement: Sand with Plasticizer

1:5-6**

˙ (dry hydrated lime) The proportion by volume may be increased by up to 50% in order to improve workability. ˙˙ Air-entrained mixes: air-entraining admixtures may be added to lime: sand mixes to improve early frost resistance.

Ready-mixed lime:sand mixes may contain such admixtures.

Mortar Types BS 5628: Part 3 : 1985 gives recommendations as to the suitability of mortar. For most applications, the recommended mortar for use with Bradstone walling contains lime in ratio of 1: 1: 5-6 (cement: lime: sand). This is designated Type iii, affording the optimum balance of performance characteristics. (Type i offers the greatest strength and durability against Type v, least strong, but with the greatest ability to accommodate thermal and moisture movements).

Mixing Add only sufficient water to achieve workability. For selection of correct mortar refer to BS 5628: Part 3, Section 3.23.

Selection of Mortars. Guidance for selection is also readily available from mortar manufacturers.

Laying If the masonry had unusually high suction due to summer weather, etc., adjust the consistency of the mortar mix within

the stipulations of BS5628: Part 3 to compensate rather than wetting the concrete units, as wetting can cause efflorescence and increased likelihood of shrinkage of the built units when they dry out.

All concrete masonry products should be laid plumb and true with mortar joints of approximately 10mm.

Openings Where large openings occur, the area of stonework able to resist tensile stresses is reduced with the result that high stress concentrations can occur around, for example, window openings. Cracking at these points may be controlled by the use of reinforcement in horizontal joints.

Care should be taken in the selection of reinforcement which should be of tram line type so that it does not deform under tensile load.

Two important points that must be borne in mind are that the reinforcement must be continued (at least 600mm beyond the opening) to distribute the stresses. The reinforcement must also be given adequate cover of mortar to prevent corrosion and should normally be positioned 20mm from the exposed face of the wall (disregarding any applied finish). Bed joint reinforcement may also be used to improve the tensile strength of the blockwork and thereby enable greater lengths between movement joints to be used.

Durability Provided that Bradstone walling products are installed correctly, they will provide a long, low maintenance service life under normal conditions of use.

During winter months there may be a risk to concrete masonry from the use of de-icing salts on roads and pavements in close proximity. Moisture movement and the migration of soluble salts makes frost action more aggressive to concrete and may result in degradation.

Samples Samples are indicative of textures, aggregates, finishes and shading. These may vary from actual production batches.

Bradstone is a range of reconstructed stone products, where shades are subtle and subject to slight variations, as in natural stone. It is strongly recommended that selection is made from product samples which are available upon request from our sales office.

The shades illustrated are as accurate as modern printing will allow.

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PRODUCT PICTURE

PRODUCT NAME

USED WHERE

HEIGHT mm

LENGTH WIDTH mm mm

WEIGHT No. in PALLET kg

T Block (All pages)

Forms Bradstone Masonry Walling along with the Infill Block

225

450

100

17.5

64

T Block (All pages)

Forms Bradstone Masonry Walling along with the T Block

75

450

100

6.5

45

PRODUCT PICTURE

PRODUCT NAME

USED WHERE

Quoin Corners/Plinth Corners p3, 7, 10 & 13 /Pillars

HEIGHT mm

225

LENGTH mm

WIDTH mm

225 leg 450 100

WEIGHT kg

No. in PALLET

28.0

36

Plinth p3, 4 & 12

To form Plinth/Banding

225

450

100

20.0

60

2

The Infill block is supplied at a rate of 45No. to 64 No T Blocks on a single pallet which covers 7m .

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Dressed End p3, 7, 8 & 13

Window & Door Reveals/Corners/Pillars

225 225

337 225

100 100

15.5 11.5

90 120

Splayed Plinth p3 &12

With Plinth Block/ Chimney Coping

150

450

200

25.0

50

Return End p5, 6, 7 & 9

Window & Door Reveals/Corners/Pillars

225 225

337 225

100 100

15.5 11.5

90 120

Internal Angle

With Splayed Plinth to form Internal Corners

150

280/280

280

19.0

-

45˚Dog Leg

Bays & Corners formed at a 45˚ angle

225

337/100

100

16.0

90

External Angle

With Splayed Plinth to form External Corners

150

280/280

280

16.0

-

Dog Leg Return

End Along with Dog Leg to form Reveals/Arches

225

100

100

4.0

-

Flat Coping

Wall Coping

40 40

450 450

150 300

6.0 12.5

84 72

Soldier Course p3 & 11

Over Windows & Doors/ Wall Copings

225

450

100

21.0

60

Dressed Pillar Cap

On Top of Pillars

120

560 685

560 685

30.0 50.0

-

Heavy Split Brick Sill

Window Sills for 50 Standard Construction

1

450

265

25.0

24

Masonry Pillar Cap p11

On Top of Pillars

50

525

525

38.0

-

Light Split Brick Sill p5

Window Sills for Timber 50 Frame Construction

1

450

150

20.5

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All products shown on pages 14 and 15 are available from stock.

All dimensions shown are nominal to include allowance for 10mm joint and weights stated are approximate.

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PRODUCT PICTURE

PRODUCT NAME

USED WHERE

HEIGHT mm

LENGTH mm

WIDTH mm

WEIGHT kg

Standard

Window Sill for Standard Construction

150

Up to 3000

280

76.0

Timber Frame Sill

Window Sill for Timber Frame Construction

150

Up to 3000

215

44.0

Lintel

Structural Lintel over Window & Door Openings

300 225

Up to 3000 Up to 3000

100 100

70.0 52.0

Corbel (Left & Right)

Provides Decorative Support at Gable End of Roof

210

300/450

250/100

45.0

Decorative String Course

Decorative Banding

150

1000

200

58.0

Plain String Course

Decorative Banding

150

1000

200

56.0

Gable Copings

Decorative Capping at the Edge of Roof

60/75

600

450

44.0

Standard Pillar Cap

On Top of Pillars

120 120 120

455 560 685

455 560 685

20.0 30.0 50.0

Dome Pillar Cap

On Top of Pillars

160 235 255 275

460 560 685 840

460 560 685 840

32.0 40.0 55.0 60.0

480 580 680 680

585 690 810 1065

585 690 810 1065

200.0 350.0 500.0 675.0

Pointed Pillar Cap

On Top of Pillars

All products shown on Page 16 are “Made To Order” Items and require a minimum order time of 4 weeks. All weights stated are approximate.The sill and lintel dimensions shown are nominal to include allowance for 10mm joint.

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Frequently Asked Questions How do we get started?

For the initial course and again above the DPC, every other T Block should have its stalk removed (see Page 13). Start laying at the corners and work in to the middle alternating the “Stem Up” T Block with the cut T Block.

Alternatively a plinth block can be used under the DPC. Thereafter, working in courses, the T Blocks should be laid “stem up”, “stem down” and so on with infill blocks used to fill the gaps in the courses. Where there are door/window openings, work from both the opening and the corner into the middle.

Where do I take my building line off the block?

Due to the differing profiles, we suggest that the line is taken at the point where the false joints commence.

Should I add any additives - plasticiser?

Not generally necessary other than proprietary mortar mixes.

Do I need to colour my mortar?

Mortar joints should either match the stonework shade or in the cases of weathered shades, match the lightest colour of the blended shade. The colour of the joints should match in with the Walling.

How can I avoid cutting?

Cutting can be limited through careful design, ensuring lengths of stonework suit the Masonry modular size and avoid small piers and buttresses. Any pieces left from a cut block will also be used within the walling and this minimises waste.

Do I need to mix pallets like in brickwork?

Yes, to ensure equitable and aesthetic spread of the differing, random colours inherent in all Bradstone shades.

How do I clean Bradstone Masonry Walling?

When building Bradstone Masonry Walling, careful attention should be paid to continuous cleaning of surplus mortar on the stone face before it dries hard during the construction process. If allowed to harden, removal at this stage can result in the loss of the surface face.

It is not necessary to clean the stonework face as this will affect the weathering process which is part of the charm of Bradstone. However, if this is necessary, this should not be undertaken regularly (ie not less than at five year intervals).

In these circumstances, the cleaning should be carried out with a low power pressure washer - if pressure is too strong and exercise carried out too frequently, this may result in damage or removal of stonework face.

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