Discover the Design Advantage of Thin Brick Precast and Tilt-up Panels

Tilt-up and precast concrete construction involves erecting exterior walls with pre-finished panels, rather than building walls with traditional construction techniques. This growing building trend is cost effective given lower raw material costs, significant labor savings and quicker construction schedules. But in addition to these practical advantages, tilt-up construction offers incredible design versatility. Because tilt-up panels are poured on site , they can be very large or tall or custom shaped, with virtually any building finishing applied. For climates where this outdoor work can’t be done all year,  precast panels are made in a production facility; but these panels must be sized for transport to site.

General Shale Thin Brick allows designers to elevate the aesthetics of any tilt-up project using real clay thin brick! Panels with authentic brick deliver superior durability and aesthetic appeal compared to faux brick products. In this post, we’re sharing the important benefits of real clay thin brick concrete panels and exploring our broad selection.

General Shale’s Design Advantage

By offering genuine clay brick on our tilt-up and precast concrete panels, we help architects deliver building designs with great aesthetics and lasting performance. Our natural thin brick simply delivers a superior authenticity versus faux brick or common finishes like sand blasted, acid etched or exposed aggregate.

We cut full-bed brick to create the thin brick for tilt-up and precast panels. So, designers have the option to use identical full-bed and thin brick for absolute design continuity. No other manufacturer can offer this design advantage!

Read about how architects used our thin brick for the AvidXChange Corporate Headquarters project!

Industry-leading Product Selection

When you think about tilt-up or precast brick panels, do you picture cookie-cutter, run-of-the-mill red brick? Then it’s time to expand your design horizons! Our tumbled clay brick brings a unique charm and character for those designers and owners looking for an authentic rustic look. In fact, we offer one of the industry’s broadest selections in thin brick for precast and tilt-up construction. Let’s review the three product lines we offer:

Old Brick OriginalsTM Thin Brick
Our Old Brick OriginalsTM feature a tumbled edge and antique weathered look, in contrast to the straight edge, solid color thin bricks often used on precast and tilt-up panels. This distressed look works well for industrial chic to historical designs. Choose from 12 gorgeous options, from light to dark with lots of natural color variations and tones.

Architectural Classics
This series delivers crisp aesthetics and accurate, repeatable colors to ensure maximum usage. The broad palette (of 20 options) includes deep, striking colors, traditional earth tones and lighter pastels and whites.

Designer Classics
Our Designer Classics offer the perfect balance between clean edges and natural patterns. This diverse collection gives designers ample choice for creating a sophisticated charm.

Exceptional Efficiency and Durability

Using General Shale thin brick for precast and tilt-up panels provides an ideal balance between desired performance, aesthetic objectives and environmental responsibility.

EFFICIENCY
– As the thin brick is an integral part of the concrete panel, lintels, ledges, weep cavities, waterproofing and flashing are not needed.
– Embedded thin brick panels minimize materials and clean up at the job site.

DURABILITY
– Stronger walls, with integrated brick, offer increased fire, seismic, wind, and blast resistance.
– No moisture penetration, joint cracks, freeze thaw or efflorescence effects.
– No long-term mortar maintenance or repairs.

SUSTAINABILITY
– Thin brick uses 80% less materials and energy to process and transport and use of thin brick is eligible for LEED points – regional and innovative materials and innovation in design.

Finished precast panels can be custom sized in the factory and shipped to site. The Thin Brick is simply laid by hand and concrete is poured into the form.

For more information on sizes, special orders, our full product selection and project images, check out our Precast/Tilt-up Brochure or contact our dedicated sales rep, jeff.franich@generalshale.com.

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