Goodbye common block: learn how to make manual bricks with 8 holes and dimensions of 10x19x19 cm using a wooden mold, 32 mm PVC, and a 4:1 mix to build spending much less and with a surprising finish.

Written by Alisson Ficher

Published on 21/05/2026 at 21:29

2 people reacted to this.

Using pine board, 32 mm PVC pipes, cement, and sand in a 4:1 ratio, it is possible to produce handmade eight-hole bricks with side grooves at home, with reduced cost and suitable results for small masonry services and self-construction experiments.

The cement brick with side grooves and eight holes has a more elaborate appearance than the common block and can be produced manually with simple materials, being a viable alternative for those seeking savings in small construction and masonry services.

The eight holes reduce weight and facilitate handling, while the side grooves improve the visual finish, especially when the blocks are exposed on the final face of the wall, without the need for additional coating on the surface.

The typical dimensions are 10 cm wide, 19 cm long, and 19 cm high, measurements that make the piece functional for tests, homemade productions, and masonry services in small buildings or simple residential renovations.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Building the wooden mold

The mold can be made with thick pine board, which ensures firmness during filling and compaction, combined with metal hinges that facilitate the opening of the structure and the extraction of the brick after initial curing.

A simple latch keeps the mold closed during filling, preventing the sides from opening under pressure and compromising the brick’s dimensions, making it important to check the latch before starting each molding cycle.

The holes are formed by 32 mm PVC pipes fixed in the mold before filling, while half pipes on the sides create the model’s grooves, all needing to be greased with oil before use to ensure demolding without damaging the edges.

Preparing the mix to the right point

The mix follows the 4:1 ratio, with four parts of medium sand to one of cement, a proportion that balances strength and cost, and the dry mixture must be completely uniform before adding water to ensure better distribution of the components.

Water should be added gradually until the mix reaches a moist and loose texture like subfloor crumb, at which point it is possible to form small compact balls in hand without the mixture running when dropped.

Before filling, the internal walls, PVC pipes, and side half pipes should receive a generous layer of lubricant oil — common or used cooking oil — covering all surfaces that will come into contact with the cement mix.

Filling, compaction, and demolding

The mix should be placed in successive layers, not all at once, a practice that facilitates uniform compaction and reduces the formation of internal flaws and voids that compromise the strength and finish of the grooves and edges of the brick.

Hitting the mold against the ground helps the mix settle into the corners and eliminate empty spaces between sand and cement particles, a simple technique that improves the density and uniformity of the internal distribution of the material.

Compaction with iron or wood on each layer increases strength and improves the finish of the grooves, and the alignment of the PVC pipes should be checked between layers to ensure the holes are well positioned.

The top should be smoothed with a trowel after filling, a technique that evens the upper face, improves appearance, and facilitates laying in the masonry course, creating a flat surface that receives mortar more efficiently.

Demolding requires patience to preserve grooves and holes: the piece should be turned with gentle movements, the PVC pipes removed slowly with rotational movements, and the latch opened without abrupt blows after initial curing.

With a well-greased mold, layered compaction, and careful demolding, the handmade brick comes out with defined grooves, clean holes, and uniform finish, a method that uses simple materials to produce strong pieces in small projects with low investment.

An underestimated aspect is the curing time before using the bricks, which varies between seven and 28 days depending on weather conditions, local humidity, and the thickness of the pieces produced in each batch.

Lightly watering the bricks once or twice a day in the first days after demolding slows evaporation and allows the cement hydration to occur completely, improving the final strength of each piece.

Having a second or third mold reduces production time per batch, allowing alternation between filling new molds and curing already molded pieces without interrupting the production process throughout the day.

0 Comments

most recent

older Most voted

Goodbye common block: learn how to make manual bricks with 8 holes and dimensions of 10x19x19 cm using a wooden mold, 32 mm PVC, and a 4:1 mix to build spending much less and with a surprising finish.

Using pine board, 32 mm PVC pipes, cement, and sand in a 4:1 ratio, it is possible to produce handmade eight-hole bricks with side grooves at home, with reduced cost and suitable results for small masonry services and self-construction experiments.

Building the wooden mold

Preparing the mix to the right point

Filling, compaction, and demolding

Mother and daughter build a 70 m² house with more than 8,000 discarded glass bottles and impress with their creativity; known as the Casa de Sal, the property is located on Itamaracá Island, in Pernambuco.

Workers were opening a new road connection near the Marginal Tietê when they found, in the underground of the construction site, remnants of locomotives, wagons, and boilers from the 19th century linked to the forgotten history of Lapa.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

Greek island offers free housing for volunteers, but there’s a condition: you need to take care of rescued cats.

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

China has deployed snake-shaped robots to slide along power lines, where they have already inspected over 130 kilometers of cables using cameras and sensors to detect damaged wires, worn-out parts, and overheating.

Paper money is disappearing from Brazilians’ pockets, with the issuance of new banknotes dropping by 31% from 2020 to 2025, amid the explosion of Pix, which became the most frequent payment method for 46% of the population, while cash plummeted from 42% to 22%.

Ports without drivers and cabins already move containers like automated factories: robotic cranes, autonomous electric vehicles, and software transform giant terminals into 24-hour logistics machines.

They built an entire village of houses with their own hands made of earth and old tires, in the ecovillage Aardehuis, in the Netherlands, where 44 residents live in Earthships that generate almost all the energy, heat with the sun, and treat sewage in their own garden.

Villagers dig a road by hand on a 1,200-meter cliff in China after decades of extreme isolation, creating one of the most dangerous and impressive tunnels in the world.

Malaysia created a tunnel that becomes a road on a normal day and a giant flood drain when rain threatens Kuala Lumpur.

Goodbye common block: learn how to make manual bricks with 8 holes and dimensions of 10x19x19 cm using a wooden mold, 32 mm PVC, and a 4:1 mix to build spending much less and with a surprising finish.

Using pine board, 32 mm PVC pipes, cement, and sand in a 4:1 ratio, it is possible to produce handmade eight-hole bricks with side grooves at home, with reduced cost and suitable results for small masonry services and self-construction experiments.

Building the wooden mold

Preparing the mix to the right point

Filling, compaction, and demolding

Mother and daughter build a 70 m² house with more than 8,000 discarded glass bottles and impress with their creativity; known as the Casa de Sal, the property is located on Itamaracá Island, in Pernambuco.

Workers were opening a new road connection near the Marginal Tietê when they found, in the underground of the construction site, remnants of locomotives, wagons, and boilers from the 19th century linked to the forgotten history of Lapa.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

Greek island offers free housing for volunteers, but there’s a condition: you need to take care of rescued cats.

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

China has deployed snake-shaped robots to slide along power lines, where they have already inspected over 130 kilometers of cables using cameras and sensors to detect damaged wires, worn-out parts, and overheating.

They built an entire village of houses with their own hands made of earth and old tires, in the ecovillage Aardehuis, in the Netherlands, where 44 residents live in Earthships that generate almost all the energy, heat with the sun, and treat sewage in their own garden.

Villagers dig a road by hand on a 1,200-meter cliff in China after decades of extreme isolation, creating one of the most dangerous and impressive tunnels in the world.

Malaysia created a tunnel that becomes a road on a normal day and a giant flood drain when rain threatens Kuala Lumpur.

Libya built over 4,000 kilometers of underground pipelines to bring water from the Sahara to coastal cities in a project that the government itself called the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Concrete reinforced with carrot and beetroot nanoplatelets defies the logic of traditional additives, outperforms graphene in initial tests, saves 40 kg of cement per cubic meter, and can build buildings and bridges stronger than current products.

Paper money is disappearing from Brazilians’ pockets, with the issuance of new banknotes dropping by 31% from 2020 to 2025, amid the explosion of Pix, which became the most frequent payment method for 46% of the population, while cash plummeted from 42% to 22%.

Ports without drivers and cabins already move containers like automated factories: robotic cranes, autonomous electric vehicles, and software transform giant terminals into 24-hour logistics machines.

They built an entire village of houses with their own hands made of earth and old tires, in the ecovillage Aardehuis, in the Netherlands, where 44 residents live in Earthships that generate almost all the energy, heat with the sun, and treat sewage in their own garden.

Villagers dig a road by hand on a 1,200-meter cliff in China after decades of extreme isolation, creating one of the most dangerous and impressive tunnels in the world.

Malaysia created a tunnel that becomes a road on a normal day and a giant flood drain when rain threatens Kuala Lumpur.