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You should generally drill into the mortar joints when installing shutters on brick. Mortar is softer, which makes drilling easier and puts less strain on your tools. It also lowers the risk of cracking a brick—something that’s a lot harder to fix. Mortar holds fasteners well enough for standard shutters, and if you ever need to patch the holes later, it’s a much simpler job than dealing with damaged brick. Just keep in mind that if your mortar joints are too thin or the hardware calls for brick anchoring, you'll need to check the manufacturer’s recommendations and adjust accordingly.

Brick stain doesn’t peel or chip and is much more durable than painting. That’s because the staining is absorbed into the brick instead of lingering on the surface as paint does. The color retains even under extreme weather conditions. Therefore, brick stain will save you a lot of time and cost on maintenance in the long run.

The size of your pizza oven will determine the number of bricks necessary to build it. So the bigger your pizza oven, the more fire bricks you’ll need to purchase. Keep in mind that fire bricks cost about $3 each.

Spalling brick is not uncommon, but it does indicate a serious issue. It can be caused by water damage, an intense freeze-thaw cycle, or something else. Painted bricks can be susceptible to spalling, as the paint doesn’t allow the porous material of the brick to breathe, which can trap moisture. Spalling should always be addressed immediately before more serious structural damage occurs.