Reclaimed Bricks Vs New Bricks

Wondering if reclaimed bricks are as good as new bricks? We attempt to answer all your questions below.

When selecting bricks for your next construction project, you may face a choice. As the modern world wakes to the harmful mining and quarrying practices we rely on for our building materials, reclaimed bricks and recycled materials have become a preference. When we reclaim and reuse former building materials, we double the shelf life of that product. This halves the carbon footprint each brick takes to make. If we want to make the construction industry sustainable, these are the ideals we need to chase.

Here at London Reclaimed Brick Merchants, we both sell new bricks and supply reclaimed ones. We assist in demolitions, clear building sites, and pick those bricks clean. Over our years in business, we have saved thousands of tons of materials from ending up in landfill sites. Time and time again we meet with the same question: whether reclaimed bricks are as good as new ones or not. Let’s find out.

What is a Reclaimed Brick?

A reclaimed brick is one that has already built something. It may have been used to build a home or an office, a shop, or a warehouse. A reclaimed brick could come from a failed project or from an old road. Wherever it comes from, it has one thing in common with all other reclaimed bricks and that is that it is reused.

A reclaimed brick is a recycled brick. We take them from demolition sites all over London. We strip them of cement and other sediments and clean them up for resale. We then sort them into colour, shape, and type, and sell them on to new building sites. This method of reusing old bricks saves the environment, saves our clients landfill taxes, and provides high quality building materials all over the UK. That’s impressive for one little brick.

The Pros of Reclaimed Bricks:

• Better for the environment
• Less energy consumption
• Sustainable building practices
• Less sent to landfill
• Cheaper resources for builders
• Equally as strong as new bricks

The Cons of Reclaimed Bricks:

• Narrower colour choice
• Narrower range of options in size
• You might not have enough of a certain brick to finish a task if you fail to order enough of a supply in advance

Are New Bricks Better than Reclaimed Bricks?

Here at the London Reclaimed Brick Company, we sell both new bricks and reused ones. We even offer a brick cutting service and a brick matching service, should you require new bricks to make up a shortage of reclaimed ones. New bricks are just as strong and hard wearing as reclaimed bricks. They can be pricier because they take more money to make.

Are new bricks better than reclaimed bricks? We believe that depends on your project. New bricks don’t have that same rustic, aged aesthetic popular with Gen Z and Millennials. Old bricks don’t have that clean, colour coordinated, neat and tidy aesthetic popular with older buyers.

The Pros of New Bricks:

• Endless options in colour, shape, size
• Just as durable as reclaimed bricks
• Made to order
• Large quantities readily available

The Cons of New Bricks:

• Worse for the environment
• Can cost more
• Don’t have the same rustic aesthetic