Brick Slip Basics

What Are Brick Slips?

Brick Slips are tiles cut from bricks, they give the full character of a brick but allow for easier installation.

Brick Slips can now also be moulded as slips in the first place rather than cut. This is a cheaper solution, but doesn't provide the same character.

How Are Brick Slips Made?

All of our brick slips are fired clay bricks, cut into slips.

This means you get all of the character possible in a full sized brick, but cut down into a tile.

The natural clay means classic colours and textures, and no fading as you can get with concrete imitations.

Where Can I Install Brick Slips?

Brick Slips are suitable for most rooms, most spaces internal and external. They can be applied to different surfaces, with only a few different considerations.

Read in more detail about where to install brick slips.

We have specific guides available for the following places:

Kitchen Brick Slip Guide

Fireplace Brick Slip Guide

Feature Wall Brick Slip Guide

Bathroom Brick Slip Guide

External Brick Slip Guide

Brick Slips as Flooring

What Can You Stick Brick Slips Onto?

Using brick slip adhesive, you can adhere them to most surfaces. The most common are plasterboard, cement board and masonry.

We don't recommend tiling onto Plywood, OSB or MDF as they are composites that could weaken.

See our installation guide for more information.

Why are some more expensive than others?

The price of brick slips mostly depends on the manufacturing costs for the brick. This can vary based on the clay, any additives or processes and the manufacturing method.

Design Guidance

Can I Order a Sample?

We always recommend you order a sample of the blend(s) that you love the most, this is to make sure you get a proper reflection of the colour and texture, as real clay bricks have unique properties that can only be appreciated fully in person. You can order up to 3, available on each product page. View our full collection of brick slips to choose your favourites.

What Mortar Colour should I use?

The mortar makes up around 15% of the wall’s look- it isn’t the centrepiece, but can really change the look you’re going for.

On each of the blends you'll see a small token in the bottom right to indicate what mortar is used in the image.

In our inspiration pages it also details the mortar colour for you.

What about Corners and Edges?

If you have corners you need to tile around, use our corner brick slips to keep things going.

We always recommend finishing on an internal corner so no tile edges are exposed. However if you need to, use half tiles to finish every other row, and use the mortar to cover the edges.

What Bond Pattern Should I Use?

Having a different pattern in the brickwork can make it look completely different, choosing this means you will be able to calculate how many you want. See what different bond patterns you could use.

How Do I Know What Blend to Use?

Brick is a natural product, fired from clay dug out of the earth. The colourings therefore lend themselves well to most environments, it's about your own personal preference.

The question we are asked most here is what goes with what kitchen colour. All of our blends work with white, black, grey, cream or blue kitchens, and most will work perfectly with greens too. So ultimately it just comes down to your preference, have a look at our inspiration pages for more guidance.

Purchasing Guidance

How Many Brick Slips Do I Need?

Use our Brick Slip Calculator to work out how many you need to order, we always recommend ordering slightly more than would cover the wall, due to cuts for the edges and also to account for a couple of breakages (this is included in our calculator).

What Mortar Do I Need?

The mortar makes up around 15% of the wall’s look- it isn’t the centrepiece, but can really accentuate the look you’re going for.

For ease of pointing, our mortars all go nicely through a mortar gun or piping bag. Sand and cement mixes will often need to be manually pointed with a hawk and trowel.

So check out our guide to mortar to see what you think will work best, and how to change it.

What Else Do I Need With The Tiles?

We have put together an exhaustive list of everything you might need to install brick slips, along with the guide quantities. We offer some of the brick tile-specific products and you can get the rest from your local DIY store.

Do I Need Corner Brick Slips?

You only need corner tiles if your project goes around an external corner, like a pillar or window recess- here's our corner brick slip guide.

Do I Need Half Brick Slips?

You only need half tiles (the ends of the brick) if you're using them to create a pattern, or if your using them to finish mid-way across a wall.

You will cut full tiles down to fit at the ends of the wall.

How Quickly Can I get my Brick Slips?

Our Brick Slips are Manufactured on a blend-by-blend basis. Most of our products are delivered in 4-5 working days - 4 with express delivery, 5 with standard.

If you need an offline blend urgently- get in touch and we can see what production timescales are possible at that time, as it could be much sooner.

Check out our delivery guide for more information about how and when the tiles arrive.

What Do I Need To Do When They Arrive?

Your tiles may look slightly different when they arrive, but don't worry - that's normal, check our arrival advice for more information.

Always check your delivery to ensure there are no issues before booking an installer.

Installation Guidance

Where Can I Install Brick Slips?

Brick Slips are suitable for most rooms, most spaces internal and external. They can be applied to different surfaces, with only a few different considerations. Read in more detail about where to install brick slips.

We have specific guides available for the following places:

Kitchen Brick Slip Guide

Fireplace Brick Slip Guide

Feature Wall Brick Slip Guide

Bathroom Brick Slip Guide

External Brick Slip Guide

Brick Slips as Flooring

How Do You Install Brick Slips?

It's a relatively straightforward process, using our adhesive you stick them on the wall, as with tiling. You need to then point the gaps with our mortar.

Follow our step-by-step installation guide if you want to install yourself.

If you'd like a professional, we can give you details of your local recommended installer.

What Can You Stick Brick Slips Onto?

Using our brick slip adhesive, you can adhere them to most surfaces. The most common are plasterboard, cement board and masonry.

We don't recommend tiling onto Plywood, OSB or MDF as they are composites that could weaken.

See our installation guide for more information.

Who Can Install Brick Slips?

You have two options – install them yourself or use a professional. We have recommended brick slip installers nationwide if you feel you need help.

If you’re considering installing them yourself- it’s easier than you might think, check out our installation video and step-by-step guide.

If you know a professional who is going to install them for you, here's our guide to how brick slips are unique as opposed to ceramic tiles.

Please do not book an installer until you've received your tiles.

What Else Do I Need With The Tiles?

We have put together an exhaustive list of everything you might need to install brick slips, along with the guide quantities. We offer some of the brick tile-specific products and you can get the rest from your local DIY store.

What Do I Need To Do Once They're Installed?

Once your Brick Slips are installed, there are a couple of things you can do to keep them in perfect condition, and a few considerations when fixing things to the wall in our aftercare guide.

Should I seal Brick Slips?

You most often don't need to, but brick will soak in water, so there's no harm in sealing them once completely fry from Installation.

Have a look at our brick slip sealant.

Should I book an Installer first?

We recommend you don't book your installer until your products have arrived safely, or have your booking weeks in advance, to make sure everything is ok first.

What size gap between the brick slips?

Bricks are traditionally used with a 10mm mortar gap. All calculations and assumptions are based on this.

However there's no requirement for this, you can use whatever spacing you like. Just bear in mind the effect on quantities, and if smaller, then the ease of pointing.