Masonry veneer

Okay kiddo, do you know what bricks are? They're those square things that people use to build walls. Well, sometimes people want to make a wall look like it's made of bricks, but they don't actually want to use all those heavy real bricks. That's where masonry veneer comes in!

Masonry veneer is like a fake layer of bricks that goes on the outside of a building. It's made of thin pieces of a material called "cultured stone" or "thin brick". It's much lighter than real bricks, so it's easier to install and doesn't need as much support.

To put it on a building, builders first put up a special layer of material on the wall. This is called a "sheathing" and it helps make sure the masonry veneer stays in place. Then, they put a special kind of glue called "mortar" on the back of each piece of cultured stone or thin brick and press it onto the sheathing. Finally, they put some more mortar in between each piece to make it look like there are real bricks there.

And voila! The building now looks like it's made of bricks, even though it really isn't. Pretty cool, huh?