What can I do with Used Brick?

There are many possibilities for featuring used brick in both the interior and exterior of a home. A brick driveway can add elegance to the outside entryway, while using it around a pool or fountain can enhance the appeal of these features. Using it to make floors or an accent wall can create a beautiful focal point — a main design feature that catches the eye — inside a home. Dealers typically offer historical bricks for floors, fireplaces, walls, driveways, pathways, and patios.

Paver bricks salvaged from historical buildings can be used to create one-of-a-kind outdoor spaces. This is a classic rectangular red or brown brick used in many buildings up to 100 years old. A simple patio deck space can be transformed into a rustically elegant look by choosing a color tone and pattern that compliments the outdoor setting as well as the style of the home. Paver bricks may be placed end to end to form rows or be positioned more creatively to form V-shaped lines. Antique pavers make ideal pool decks, walkways, and driveways, as they're durable and have stood the test of time.

Firebrick is used brick suitable for fireplaces. Adding an indoor or outdoor fireplace can be a great thing to do with old brick because it's both decorative and useful. The color tones of salvaged brick range from warm, vivid orange-reds to cool, pale brownish-pinks. Indoor floors are another excellent application as bricks provide a durable and unique alternative to tile and wood floors. Flooring tiles can be made from slices of brick that can be placed in many different patterns to create a floor.

Recycled bricks left over from projects or found at yard sales can be used for interesting accents. For example, a few larger ones placed in a garden can make good stepping stones to give a gardener somewhere to stand when watering or trimming plants. Smaller bricks can make a nice border between flower beds and lawns. Others can be used in a kitchen to hold hot pots or even in a living room or den as the base for a glass coffee table top.

Two bricks could even be used as book ends to keep books upright in a bookshelf. They also make good paperweights on a desk. A collection of used bricks could be placed creatively to form a creative backsplash, or wall behind a stove or sink, in a kitchen.