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How to Make Bricks from Concrete

Making Brick from ConcreteMaking and Pouring the Concrete into the Brick Molds
Edited by Maluniu, Loganflinke, BR

The primary use of bricks has been for wall coverings over the years, but they can be
used for decorative purposes as well. Historically, the common brick has been molded
from clay and fired in a kiln. But that isn't the only way you can make brick. Another way,
popular with do-it-yourself types, has been by using concrete. You can make bricks from
concrete by following a few simple steps.

Method 1 of 2: Making Brick from Concrete

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1.

1
Make the forms you need to use for the concrete bricks. This requires basic
carpenter tools and a sheet of .75-inch (19 mm) plywood along with 2 x 4-inch (5.1 x
10.2 cm) by 8 feet (2.4 m) lumber. Use 9 x 4 x 3.5 inches (22.9 x 10.2 x 8.9 cm) for your
brick dimensions.
Rip the sheet of 3/4 inch plywood down to 12-inch (30.5 cm) wide x 48-

inch (1.2 m) long strips. This will give you 8 bricks per strip, and the entire sheet of
plywood will give you a total of 64 bricks.
Cut the side forms down to 2 x 4 inches (5.1 x 10.2 cm). You will need 2

pieces at 48 inches (1.2 m) long for each strip. There will be 9 pieces, 9 inches (22.9
cm) in length.

2
Assemble the forms with the two 48 inch (1.2 m) pieces laid parallel. Begin nailing
the 9-inch (22.9 cm) pieces between the two 48-inch (1.2 M) strips using either doubleheaded 16 penny concrete form nails or 3-inch (7.65 cm) deck screws. When finished,
you should have 8 spaces 4 inches (5.1cm) wide, 9 inches (22.9 cm) long, and 3.5
inches (8.9 cm) deep.

Lay the strips of plywood on a flat level area and spread plastic sheeting

over it to keep the concrete from bonding with the plastic. The work area will need to be
left undisturbed for at least 24 hours.
Place the assembled side form on top of the .75-inch (19 cm) plastic

covered plywood strip. Either nail the side forms to the plywood or drive wooden stakes
around the sides of the forms to keep the forms from shifting off of the plywood bottom
strips.

Use a spray can of form release oil to aid in stripping the forms after pouring the
concrete into the brick molds.

Method 2 of 2: Making and Pouring the Concrete into the Brick


Molds
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1.

Make the concrete and pour it into the assembled molds. This will most likely be the
most physically challenging part of making brick from concrete. Using a commercially
prepared dry mix of concrete materials is the easiest method. It is often referred to as
Sak-crete and normally comes in 40-to-80-pound (18.1-to-36.2 kg) bags, which are then
mixed in a wheel barrow.

2.

Put a bag of prepared concrete material in a wheel barrow. Make a small hole in the
middle of the dry mix using a shovel or a common garden hoe.
Begin adding small amounts of water in that small hole, preferably from a

bucket rather than a hose for better control of the amount of water that is added at any
one time.
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Mix the dry material and water together with the hoe or shovel, adding
water until you have a concrete consistency that is workable. Too wet and it will want to
push up the side and run under the forms. Too dry and it will not want to consolidate, but
rather it will leave air voids in your concrete brick.

3
Use a shovel put the concrete into the forms.
o

Tap on the side of the forms with the brick forms filled. Tapping on the top
afterward will force any trapped air out from inside of the concrete.

Use a straight edge or 12-inch (30.5 cm) trowel to smooth off the top of the
concrete level with the top of the forms. Allow it to dry for 24 hours.

4
Strip the forms from the concrete bricks on the next day. Stack the bricks in a cool
area to cure a suggested 2 weeks. Cover them up with a mover's blanket while they are
curing and keep the blanket wet and covered with plastic sheeting. This will keep the
bricks from cracking during the curing process. Once they have cured, you are ready to
use them.

5
Finished.

Tips

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Making concrete forms for brick and then casting them isn't the only way you can

make brick for a driveway or walkway. There are commercially available plastic polymer
forms you can use, which will leave you with many different patterns or sizes of brick
when you follow the manufacturer's directions.
Concrete is naturally gray, but you can change that color by adding commercially

available dyes.
Save the forms you made for the concrete bricks and use them for future projects

and repair work.

Warnings

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Concrete is corrosive and all manufacturer's instructions on safe handling during

the mixing process should be followed.

Things You'll Need

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.75-inch (19 mm) 4 x 8 ft (1.2 X 2.4 m) exterior grade plywood

Plastic sheeting


2 x 4-inch (5 x 10 cm) x 8 ft (2.4 m) #3 common boards

16 penny double headed concrete form nails or 3-inch (7.6 cm) deck screws

Bags of premixed dry concrete

Wheel barrow

Square pointed shovel

Garden hoe

Framing hammer

Circular saw

Screw driver for screws


Concrete trowel 12" (30.5 cm)

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