There are many uses for crushed brick, such as ground cover, landscaping and filler for concrete construction and road building. Some of the uses for crushed brick are in the creation of clay tennis courts and roofing materials. Most of the crushed brick remains its original red or brown color, but some companies dye the finished product to add a colorful touch to landscaping and walkways. Whether the brick is being used on its own or as an aggregate component of another material, it is an appropriate choice when attempting to use environmentally friendly construction techniques on nearly any building project.
Many brick structures are demolished, creating untold numbers of used, unwanted and often damaged bricks. One option to dispose of the bricks is to place them in a landfill. A second option that has become an accepted method in the building community is to crush the brick into small chips or rubble-like pieces. The crushed brick is then used in several aspects of building and construction.
In concrete projects, the crushed brick is used as an aggregate to not only save on the amount of concrete that is required to complete the project, but also to add strength and a visual appeal to an otherwise plain, concrete finish. Another use for the chipped brick is as ground cover around trees, bushes and flowerbeds. The brick is often used in place of wood chips for a much longer lasting material that provides a visual aspect to the area as well as a very durable solution to weed control. Many builders and contractors recommend the crushed material for walkways and even driveways in some tropical areas where the use of blacktop creates excessive and unwanted heat.
Another use for the recycled material can be found in the roofing industry. Some roofing installers have used the crushed brick instead of pea stone to add weight to rubber roofing on flat roofs. The crushed brick allows for superior drainage as compared with many other materials, and the weight of the brick provides a good anchoring system for the rubber roofing material in periods of high winds. In some applications, the brick is even more cost effective than comparable materials and actually works as well or better than traditional building materials.