Brick Tile Design for Openings (Windows and Entrances)

Brick tile is popular in many homes and commercial buildings for its distinctive texture and durability. Using brick tile correctly around openings such as windows and entrances can add depth and appeal to a building’s design. This article introduces key points and case studies for opening design using brick tile.

Opening Design Is the “Makeup” of a House

An opening can be considered the “makeup” of a house.

In Georgian-style homes, for example, windows and entrances commonly feature decorative keystones and pediments. These elements bring the whole house a refined, classical beauty.

It is a small detail, but an essential point for recreating a house that’s truly built of brick.

Today, tile alone can give a house the appearance of brick construction, so many examples ignore the concept of how it would actually look if the brick were really stacked. However, keeping the original rules of bricklaying in mind lets you achieve a result that looks beautiful to anyone and is also structurally correct.

Bad Designs (Simplified)

Among brick-tile designs, here are two (simplified) examples of designs that are often done incorrectly. Since these are commonly seen designs, you may wonder what is wrong with them. The key point is to consider whether the design works structurally. Imagine the window frame were removed — would the brick above it look like it is about to fall? As you will see in the images below, both examples are structurally unstable.

Don’t run tile straight across the top of a window frame without using an arch or lintel.	Vertical stacking is used here, but don’t use a brick lintel that is smaller than the opening.

Good Designs (Simplified)

Building on the points above, here the size of the lintel is adjusted to achieve a well-balanced, structurally sound beauty.

Using vertical stacking that extends 1–2 units beyond the opening lets you create a lintel design that can support the load above.

Cool Brick Tile Design (Advanced Edition)

The simplified examples above showed the correct way to lay tile for commonly seen opening designs. Here, we introduce more elaborate, advanced brick designs for those who want to take it further.

Segmental Arch: Characterized by non-standardized brick (not uniformly shaped) and fan-shaped joints. The angle where the arch meets each end is ideally 72°. This angle not only makes the arch shape look beautiful but also contributes to structural stability and load distribution. For every 1-foot increase in the arch’s span (horizontal length), the height the arch rises increases by up to 2.54cm. This is used as an indicator of the arch’s shape and slope.	A type where a Keystone is added to a Segmental Arch: placing a keystone at the top adds a design accent to the window. The recommended size for a Keystone is a horizontal height equal to 4 courses of brick plus 3 courses of joints.	Flat Arch and Bull’s Eye: a style where a Bull’s Eye is placed at the end of a Flat Arch. A design rarely seen on New England buildings.

*What is a keystone?

In masonry buildings, the stone that sits at the crown of an arch is called a keystone. It locks the surrounding units so that they cannot shift, which makes it structurally important as well. Like our CAN’BRICK brick tile, ours are “stick-on” keystones. They are a refined choice wherever you want to recreate the authentic look of real laid brick.

Accent Tile to Pair with Brick Tile

Using items like the ones introduced above is something of an insider’s technique and is not widely known, but we carry a wide range of accessories.

For Brick Tile Design Installation, Contact CAN’ Enterprises!

Keeping these small points in mind lets you bring out a more authentic brick design. To help bring your vision for a space to life with confidence, please contact us whenever you need assistance!

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