Masonry Magazine April 2006 Page. 48
BRICK
Bearing, particularly if the lip prevents the brick from being adjusted on the shelf angle. Minimizing the width of the lip allows some room to accommodate construction tolerances.
Flashing is usually placed directly above the shelf angle as part of the drainage system of the wall (see Figure 2.) However, the lip may interfere with the placement of the flashing. This is particularly true when using a metal flashing, which would have to be bent to several planes; flexible flashing can be more easily bent in this application. To avoid difficulty in placing the flashing an alternate detail is proposed in Figure 3.
The preferred alternative is to place the lipped brick upside down beneath the angle (Figure 3). This allows the flashing to be placed directly on the angle without the problems of multiple bends. A disadvantage to this detail is the location of the lip relative to the toe of the angle. Due to construction tolerances the angle's toe may be directly above a portion of the lip or in contact with the lipped brick. If this occurs the angle may cause the lip to break off. This can be avoided by detailing the lip to be in front of the toe with additional room for tolerances.
Corners
When using lipped brick, it is important to consider what happens as this unit turns a corner. In many cases, a specially made shape will look better than a cut brick or a joint at the corner. A lipped corner brick is difficult to fabricate and impossible to cut at the job site. Proper discussions with the manufacturer can avoid problems with these units.
The Brick Industry Association's Brick Briefs are short discussions of a particular topic. The information contained herein is based on the experience of Brick Industry Association technical staff and must be used with good technical judgment. Final decisions on the use of this information must rest with the project designer and owner. For more information, please visit www.gobrick.com.