Get matched with top masons in Kaunakakai, HI

Yes, an outdoor fireplace should use fire bricks. Fire bricks are specially designed to withstand high levels of heat and thus won’t crack as easily as regular bricks when exposed to the intense heat inside a fireplace.

No, it’s not recommended to attach shutters to brick without drilling. Brick is dense and built to last, so adhesives and shortcut methods don’t usually cut it. Even heavy-duty glue struggles to hold up over time—especially against wind, moisture, and temperature changes. Most no-drill options are made for materials like vinyl or wood, not solid masonry. Skipping the drill might seem easier, but it puts your shutters—and anything below them—at risk. For a secure, lasting install, drilling is the way to go. It takes more effort up front, but the result is safer and more reliable.

The best tool for drilling into brick or mortar is a rotary hammer drill which is a large hammer drill with low rotation speed and high torque. Regular drills with a hammer function are also excellent tools for drilling into brick when the diameter of the hole is 1/2 inch or less. It might be possible to drill into brick with a standard drill if you’re only drilling a very small hole, but note that masonry work will put a lot of wear on a standard drill, and the tool may not be strong enough to get through brick.

Europe is a continent made of many individual countries with a history of city life. In these cities, dirt roads were unsanitary and often shifted. The Ancient Romans started laying cobblestone streets in the 3rd century, which became an iconic feature of European cities. The durable and practical paving material proved to be extremely weather-resistant.