Brick Slips and DPC (Damp Proof Coursing)

Can Brick Slips Be Used Below DPC?

The short answer is yes, you can absolutely use brick slips below the DPC. However, the environment below this line is completely different from the wall above it.

The area below the DPC (typically the bottom 150mm of the wall leading down to the ground) is constantly exposed to harsher conditions:

• Groundwater absorption: Moisture constantly wicks up from the soil.
• Rain splashback: Rainwater hitting the ground or pathways and bouncing directly onto the lower brickwork.
• Freeze-thaw cycles: Standing moisture inside a porous material expands when it freezes, which can cause weaker materials to crack or pop off the wall ("spalling").

So how do you cope with this?

1. Use proper external brick slip adhesive to ensure there won't be any issues with adhesion; the same applies both above and below the damp proof course, but it's extra important below.
2. Make sure you use a DPC as you would with normal brickwork. This means a thin strip of membrane to make sure moisture can't soak up through the ground and up the slips.
3. Consider using slips with a low water absorption below DPC, such as our contemporary collection. This means less moisture making it's way in to start with and better frost resistance.

However, because brick slips are only aesthetic as opposed to structural, you can also simply start from 150mm above ground level. Many timber frame constructions will simply do this as the structure isn't necessary, so in painting the lower level with bitumen paint, they don't require the brick to be lower than the DPC level to cover anything such as blockwork.

What Should I do When Bridging the DPC?

We recommend not bridging the DPC, but instead taking measures to ensure that whilst the DPC is there and doing it's job, the aesthetics of the brickwork are not affected by it.

If you want the same brick slips from the ground (or slightly below) upwards, this is perfectly possible, you just need to ensure that any moisture from ground level doesn't make its way up the brickwork.

In order for the DPC to do its job, it needs to be visible, as it needs to go all the way through to prevent rising damp. However, making sure that it's not sticking out further than it needs to (a couple of mm is fine) means you'll get the least interruption.

If you want to make it into a design point, you can use darker slips below DPC for example, such as our blend 50 with excellent water absorption properties. Where this is done, the DPC can sit nicely on top of the slips and be aesthetically part of that section.

Which Brick Slips are Best Below DPC?

For slips close to ground level you need the highest frost protection and lowest water absorption possible. This means highly compressed clay, not allowing water to penetrate through. In traditional masonry, this is the job for engineering bricks. 

Engineering bricks can be expensive, and even more so with brick slips where the hard brick needs to be cut- harder work for saw blades. 

However, our contemporary collection are extruded as brick slips. This means they don't have the extra cost of cutting, but are made to similar specifications, as below, even better water absorption rates.

Brick Slip Cladding Panels and DPC

You may be using our brick slip cladding panels as a substrate for the slips. These are made from cement boarding, and whilst water-resistant, they are not waterproof.

What this means is that the DPC should also go through the boards. This is as simple as either cutting down the boards to make 2 sections, or cutting a gap through them once installed. 

We recommend cutting the boards separately, as this means you can apply the DPC slightly behind the bottom board to give extra security in keeping any moisture from soaking upwards into the rest of the brickwork.