A squint brick is a brick with one corner worked off at an angle so that it fits a wall corner that is not square. With squint bricks you can build neat oblique corners and polygonal walls without an ugly cut piece appearing in every course.
In Dutch the brick is called a lepe steen, from leep, meaning skew or slanting; the corner it forms is a squint quoin.
Where is it used?
- Non-square facade corners, for example where a building follows a plot that runs at an angle.
- Polygonal elements such as a three- or five-sided bay, a polygonal tower or an apse.
- Splayed corners on a street frontage, where a sharp arris would otherwise break away or project dangerously.
- Exposed corner details where a continuous, properly bonded corner is wanted.
Special shape or cut on site?
Two routes, with a clearly different result:
- Factory special. Brickmakers supply special shapes for common angles. The big advantage: the angled face has a fired skin like the rest of the brick. Colour, texture and water absorption therefore match the surrounding brickwork. The downsides are lead time and extra cost, and usually only a limited set of fixed angles.
- Cutting on site. With a wet-cut masonry saw any angle can be produced. The downside: the sawn face exposes the pale, open core of the brick. It weathers differently, soils faster and absorbs more water. In facework this becomes obvious after a few years.
- For an exposed elevation the factory special almost always pays for itself. For internal or backing brickwork, cutting is perfectly adequate.
| Factory special | The angled face has a fired skin like the rest of the brick, so colour, texture and water absorption match the surrounding brickwork. Downsides: lead time, extra cost and usually only a limited set of fixed angles. For an exposed elevation it almost always pays for itself. |
|---|---|
| Cutting on site | A wet-cut masonry saw can produce any angle. The sawn face exposes the pale, open core of the brick: it weathers differently, soils faster and absorbs more water, which becomes obvious in facework after a few years. For internal or backing brickwork, cutting is perfectly adequate. |
Practical tips
- Establish the angle before ordering. Measure with a sliding bevel and record the angle in degrees; with a special shape the angle cannot be changed afterwards.
- Count generously. Each course usually needs one squint, sometimes two. Order a margin of 5 to 10 per cent for breakage and cutting waste.
- Watch the bond. Even at a skew corner the perpends of successive courses must stagger; set the bond out on paper before the first course rather than improvising as you build.
- Cut wet. Dry cutting brick produces respirable crystalline silica dust, which is harmful to inhale. Use water on the saw and wear respiratory protection.
- Protect the sharp nose. A strongly splayed brick has a thin point. Do not damage it when tapping the brick down, and keep it out of site traffic while the work goes on.
Related terms
- Oblique corner
- Brick bond
- Cross bond
- Closer
- Half-brick wall
- One-brick wall
- Handmade brick
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