When visitors from western Canada or the U.S. come to Ontario, one of the first things they notice is brick. In most Ontario communities, old or new, brick is the dominant cladding material.

And it doesn't look like it will be going out of style soon. Brampton Brick recently opened North American's largest clay brick producing facility in Brampton, Ont, while rival manufacturer Canada Brick is currently putting the finishing touches on a state-of-the-art facility in Aldershot, Ont.

A couple of years ago, brick shortages in Toronto held up several building sites, as manufacturers were unable to keep up with demand. A more serious long-term concern is the lack of bricklayers. Many bricklayers are retiring, and there are not enough young people coming into the profession to keep up with demand.

Still, brick has long been a popular building material. It's history goes back to ancient civilizations, when the city of Babylon was built in Mesopotamia. Brick components were also used in the building of the Pyramids and the Great Wall of China.

Raw materials for clay brick are readily available in Southern Ontario, which is why it was used by the first housing developers to build the city's housing stock. Those homes have held up well, as brick has proven to be an ideal cladding for the Canadian climate. Over the years, in-fill housing and additional development has also adopted brick cladding so the new houses fit in with the communities, and the result is that Toronto is almost exclusively brick.

Brick has a reputation for being much more expensive than other forms of cladding. Manufacturers are working to combat that perception, by saying brick cladding pays for itself by providing low maintenance and energy efficiency. Brick is highly resistant to wind, water, sun and pests. It is fireproof and used for a variety of purposes, including interior designs and landscaping.

I.X.L. Brick, which has been making brick for Canada's Prairie provinces since 1912, says: "A home with a full brick exterior, in most regions, will appreciate to a greater value than the same home with less desirable cladding. The initial cost of investment will be recovered at the time you decide to sell your home."

Clay brick is the most popular choice for cladding in Ontario, but concrete brick is also used for other applications. There are also new "mortarless" brick products on the market.

Another misconception about brick cladding is that most of it is red. In recent years, the industry has developed many more colour choices, along with exterior cladding designs that mix and match colours. Canada Brick recently developed an interactive web site that allows buyers to create "virtual" home designs using the brick colours and textures of their choice. The results are displayed on a model home, and users can zoom in to get a better look at specific details.

"We want new home buyers to be aware that they can often request a particular colour or texture of brick, especially if construction of a new development has not yet commenced," says Frank Buck, vice-president of Canada Brick. Traditionally, brick colour and textured choices have been left up to new-home builders and architects.

The new Brampton Brick plant uses robotic technology supplied by Ceric S.A. of France, which the company says is one of the world's leading suppliers of brick-making equipment. The new facilities include two brick-making machines, three dryers, a steel encased tunnel kiln and packaging equipment. Brampton Brick says the new facility will help feed the insatiable desire for brick in Ontario and beyond.

In the days of Babylon, bricks were individually moulded by hand. Brampton Brick's new robotic facility will produce 120 million new bricks per year.

For more information about brick availability throughout the USA and Canada, visit BrickInfo.com

For more articles by Jim Adair, please press here.

Published: August 30, 2001

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Jim Adair is editor of REM: Canada's Real Estate Magazine, a business publication for real estate agents and brokers. He is also consulting editor of Homes & Cottages, Canada's largest building and renovation magazine. Email jimhc@pathcom.com.