How to Determine if a Fireplace Is Real Brick

Size

• Brick can vary in size and shape. It can be made from materials such as mud or clay, but traditional building brick is generally derived from ceramic. Ceramic bricks come in a standard size of 3 5/8 inches by 2 ¼ inches by 8 inches. If the sides of the brick or the brick lining the mantel are 8 inches long, they are most likely real brick. Measuring the bricks generally can tell you if you have a solid brick fireplace as opposed to a faux fireplace.

Color

• Brick is versatile and porous. Because brick has a smooth, flat surface, it easily can be painted or stained. If your fireplace has been painted white, black or has a mural, it may be challenging at first to determine if the brick is real. You can strip the paint off the brick or surface with paint thinner and a scraping tool. If the color underneath is red or dark tan, it is likely brick.

Texture

• You also can identify brick by its texture. Brick is made from a combination of soft slate, shale, clay and calcium silicate. Traditional masonry brick is either dry pressed, made from a soft mud or extruded from a larger block. It will have a chalky finish that when wet will dry quickly to its lighter, original color. Brick also can chip and sometimes break easily. Inside, you will see the brick easily crumble away, sometimes into a fine, powdery form. If you are uncertain if your fireplace is real brick, try chipping away at a corner. Examine the substance to see if it is clay colored and powdery.

Other Materials

• If you have examined and chipped away the fireplace and are still unsure of its content, it may be made from some other type of building material. Using faux finishing techniques, concrete can be set and molded to look like brick. It is later painted a brick color and sometimes shellacked to create a mantel or fireplace design.