Red Brick Slips
Browse our range of red brick slips, suitable for internal or external use- in fireplaces, kitchens, bathrooms, feature walls, to clad just an outdoor kitchen, extension or an entire building.
Classic Brick Colours
Red Brick Slips
The most common colour associated with brick, red is a traditional starting point for most places around the country.
Browse our range of red brick slips below across all styles- reclaimed, traditional and contemporary.
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Browse our collections to find the perfect blend for your space.
Red Brick Slips
Why Are Most Brick Slips Red?
The simple answer is that it's based on the clay bricks produced not only in the UK, but across Europe - red is the most common historical colour for brick, and therefore the same for brick slips cut from clay brick- even imitation brick is mostly a shade of red.
Bricks are mostly a red colour due to the clay they are fired from - firstly if you consider the colour of a clay it would be close to red in colour, often more of a brown. As bricks are made by firing the clay in a kiln, this causes reactions from the minerals in the clay naturally, as well as from anything that has been purposely added to create the colour overall, or a pattern within the brick. The key mineral in red bricks is common in clay - iron oxide, this is what gives it a red colouring when it reacts in the heat.
As we've come to understand more about firing bricks across the last century, we are able to manipulate the mineral content, firing length and temperature to get specific outcomes in colour, pattern and texture. However, brick is still crafted from natural clay so natural variation is always present.
How Are They Made?
Our range of red brick slips are mostly cut from full bricks. This means that a 'stock brick' i.e one pushed into a cuboid mould will have the character, specifically creasing and imperfect cuboid shape, created by that amount of clay being pressed. Once the brick is fired we can then cut each side off the brick to create 2 brick slips.
Our reclaimed collection has extra processes applied after the brick is made (but before cutting). They go through a tumbling process (like a big cement mixer) to not only misshape the bricks, but with application of slurries for some blends to create a more weathered look. After this process they can then be cut into the brick slips.
Our contemporary range is a little different. Because they are meant to be perfectly sharp edged, they are simply extruded into the shape of a brick slip already, this economises the amount of clay and the amount of energy used to fire them. They are engobed with their colour to provide a baked in consistent shade.
How Are They Different From Each Other?
The temperature of firing, oxygen levels, length of firing and type/quantity of minerals present mean that there is a variation in colour between each blend, and the slips within each blend too. Each brick type is made to satisfy a different colour palette.
Things To Be Aware of With Red Brick Slips
As a classic brick colour, red is pretty flexible in terms of it's use, so there isn't a lot to be concerned about. It usually goes well with all 3 of our mortar colours and works well with different bond patterns and mortar profiles too.
See below the effect that the different mortar colours can have on our red brick slips.
Classic Pairing
Paired with Grey Mortar
Grey Mortar is the classic colour, with grey cement being the most common colour. This combination gives a classic look, as they grey doesn't outshine the brick slips themselves, just lets them take the focus.
Colour combination
With Cream Mortar
Cream mortar brings an extra little colour to the final effect. Still quite subtle, it helps lighten the red whilst bringing it's own palette in and changing the overall look.
Lighten it up
With White Mortar
White mortar creates clean and bright lines to outline the red brick slips and lighten the whole effect. It works beautifully when there is white on the brick face particularly.
