What is Flemish bond?
Flemish bond is a brickwork bond in which a stretcher and a header alternate within every course. In Dutch it is called vlaams verband. Each header is centred on the stretcher in the course below and above. As a result the headers in alternate courses line up vertically, which gives the bond its regular, decorative pattern.
How is it laid?
- Odd courses: three-quarter bat, header, stretcher, header, stretcher and so on.
- Even courses: header, stretcher, header, stretcher and so on.
The three-quarter bat at the start or end of alternate courses creates the correct lap, so the perpends do not line up. In British practice the same lap is often made with a queen closer placed next to the quoin header.
Despite the name, the bond did not originate in Flanders. It was used in Northern and Central Europe in the late Middle Ages. Kew Palace (1631) in London is thought to be the first example in England, and by the mid 17th century it had become the preferred bond for high-quality English brickwork.
Application
- Solid walls: in walls one brick thick or more, the headers genuinely bond through the wall.
- Facing brickwork and conservation: because of its pattern it is common on historic facades. Headers are sometimes in a contrasting colour or glazed.
- Variants: Flemish garden wall bond has three stretchers between headers; double Flemish bond shows the pattern on both faces of the wall.
Tips
- Half-brick outer leaf: in a cavity wall a header cannot bond through. To show the pattern anyway, use snapped headers (half bricks). The bond is then purely decorative.
- Watch the closers: if a closer or three-quarter bat is left out or placed wrongly, the whole pattern shifts and the headers no longer sit centrally on the stretchers.
- Check the vertical lines: headers in alternate courses must be exactly above each other. Set them out with a gauge rod.
- Repairs: when repairing old brickwork, match the existing bond, including at new junctions.
Related terms
- Bond pattern
- English bond
- Cross bond brickwork
- Chain bond
- Three-quarter bat brick
- Header course
- Facing brickwork
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