20 Uses for a Brick

Projects around the house, such as building a wall or wood stove, can leave you with an extra lonely brick. Put your creative thinking to good use and find that brick a useful purpose. It characteristics of being heavy, weatherproof and square can be an effective combination.

Leftover bricks? Get creative.

Bird Feeder

Fill the holes of your brick with bird seed for a feeder. Place on your balcony. If you place it in the garden make sure it's above ground level so the ground moisture doesn't effect the seed.

Trivet

A brick can be a make-shift trivet for hot pots and dishes on your counter tops or table.

Key Keeper

Hide your spare key in an unsuspecting brick in your garden.

If your brick has the usual holes, hide your extra key in them and keep the brick in your garden or around the back of the house.

Garden Ornament

Place a brick in your garden as a stepping stone or garden ornament.

Shoe Scraper

Attach it to a piece of board with cement or plaster. Position it near your front door to use as a scraper for the bottom of your shoes.

Cooking

There are recipes that require a brick. One of them is called "chicken under a brick" and involves searing a split chicken under a brick. The weight keeps the chicken and its skin in contact with the pan and creates an evenly cooked bird with a crispy skin. The brick is wrapped in foil first for sanitary reasons.

Wheel Chock

A brick's square shape is ideal for using as a wheel chock. Place it behind a vehicle's back wheel to prevent it from rolling. It is a good idea on hills and also works for trailers.

Fish tank

Use it as fish tank decoration. Prop it up so your fish can swim around and through its holes.

Nutcracker

Crack those hard shells with a handy brick.

Use it as a nutcracker for walnuts and other hard shelled varieties.

Water Saver

Save some water by putting your brick in the toilet tank.

Place it in the back of your toilet tank to lower the amount of water used when you flush.

Sanding Block

Wrap a piece of sandpaper around your brick to create nice sanding block for large flat wood projects.

Weighty Ways

Keep the lids on your garbage cans with a heavy brick.

Your brick's weight makes it handy for holding things down, such as the tarp covering your cut wood during winter weather, It can also weigh down the llids on your garbage cans to keep high winds or animals from removing them. It's also heavy enough to use as a weight when pressing flowers between leaves of a book. At a party, tie balloons to the brick to weigh them down. During the snow months, use your brick to keep the burlap and plastic protection around your more sensitive plants in the garden. Use a handy brick to keep the covers on your patio furniture when not in use. A brick can make a manly paper weight, especially for men in the construction or landscaping business. You can even write a note on it in permanent marker and give it to your man for use in his office. Prop open your doors with this handy brick to keep the door open even when it's windy. Do you have a stack of unwieldy books? Prop them up with a brick as a bookend. This fits in well in modern urban-industrial decor.