From what I can tell, red bricks look very similar to Ytong. Full of holes, and can soak up water really well. I never hear of mold issues with bricks either, and they are used all the time in building.
I was planning to use red bricks, but all my bricks disappeared after moving...always lose stuff when moving cause rushing so much to get moved. Even if you plan ahead, once the time comes to move, it comes incredibly fast. Probably ended up in the dumpster area since we had so much stuff.
Anyway...as anyone attempted using them? It is definitely cheaper than Ytong, and vastly easier to get than Ytong. Plus, you get the added bonus that (most) ants can't see red. Plus ants shouldn't be able to chew through it.
Only downside is it may be hard to carve...since it feels and looks exactly like Ytong. So, bricks are obviously hard (like Ytong is). But, Ytong is carveable so I don't see why using bricks would be any harder.
Like I said, seems far more upsides to using bricks than Ytong. Especially since they are cheaper and so much easier to find. I guess the biggest thing is bricks are...well...bricks...you'd have to connect them to make a bigger design. That isn't that big of an issue though. But, I've never seen mold growing on bricks even in wet/cold climates.
Edited by Vendayn, January 7 2015 - 9:08 PM.
). Firebricks are sometimes called refractory bricks, and are made from fired clay. There are several types out there and all seem to work great. Pottery shops almost always carry them, they are used to build kilns.
