Facing bricks arethe materials used in making of the facades, i.e. the principal front of the building. Facing bricks are manufactured with the purpose of being visible and thus offered in aesthetic and pleasing designs in the market.
Face brick is a generally denser type of brick, more free of impurities and has been fired longer and hotter than common brick resulting in a more weatherproof (impervious) building facade. In addition, the tolerances for face brick are more exacting to allow the mortar joints to be very uniform. Face brick also tends to have more exacting aesthetic properties with a variety of appearances from additives, firing times, glazes, etc.
Common bricks generally are much more irregularly sized and was typically only be used for the interior wyths of wall construction and concealed work. In recent decades in urban areas it became trendy to expose old common brick walls.
There are usually more color and texture options in face brick than in most types common reclaimed brick. Some facing bricks have one rough or "struck" face to be placed on the outside or "facing" surface; others have a ceramic glaze on one surface. Colours can vary from white or cream to yellow to red or brown or even almost black. Many face bricks are pressed bricks, made with a technique that compresses the clay and forms very smooth faces, sharp edges and perfectly square corners.
