Concrete Breeze Blocks and Screens: Types, Sizes, Installation

A concrete breeze block screen is a wall that breathes: it filters views, softens the sun and lets the air through. The hard part is not deciding whether you like it, but which format suits you, because the thickness of the piece makes the difference between building a pierced wall and simply cladding or filling a panel between posts. In this guide we go through Vetonek's white concrete breeze blocks, with the sizes and data from their spec sheets, so you know which one fits your fence, your terrace or your pool area.

What is a concrete breeze block and what is it used for?

It is a precast concrete piece with a pierced pattern. Stacked piece by piece, it forms a panel that is not a blind wall: it gives privacy without closing off the space and casts shadows that change with the sun throughout the day. The spec sheets for the range recommend it for plot boundaries and fences, dividers for terraces, patios and porches, pierced garden walls and pool areas, facade screens, screening for clothes-drying areas, meter rooms or bin areas, and a pierced coping on low walls.

All of them are precast concrete, for outdoor use and with a natural finish, unpainted and untreated. Most are white; the exception is the Pradejón breeze block, which also comes in grey.

Three formats, three uses

• 20 cm thick pierced block (20 × 20 × 40 cm). This is the piece for building pierced walls. Its spec sheets specify it when the panel has to stand on its own. You need 12.5 pieces per m², and each unit weighs between 16 and 27 kg depending on the pattern. The Arenzana breeze block is a good example: it is made in 20, 6 and 9 cm thickness with the same pattern, to unify an entire project.
• Thin screen block, 6 and 9 cm (6 or 9 × 20 × 40 cm). Designed for screens between posts, light fencing and pierced cladding, also at 12.5 pieces per m². The 6 cm ones weigh between 5 and 8 kg. Models such as the Calahorra breeze block, with its star pattern, or the Valdemadera breeze block, with a plant motif inspired by the leaf, come in all three thicknesses. The Ciriñuela breeze block, the Rasillo and the Santa Engracia are made only in 6 × 20 × 40 cm.
• Square piece, 6 × 25 × 25 cm. It is bedded in mortar and forms screen panels of 16 pieces per m², at 4.5 to 5.5 kg per piece. This is the format of the Bobadilla breeze block, the Redal, the Villarta and the Santa Coloma, as well as the Islallana breeze block, with a crown pattern, and the Lagunilla, with a circular eclipse-style pattern.

The Pradejón breeze block is a case apart, with a square window-style opening: its block measures 17 × 20 × 20 cm and its screen piece 8 × 20 × 20 cm, both at 25 pieces per m².

The pattern: pick the one you want to see every day

Within each format, what changes is the motif. There are geometric patterns (Villamediana), ornamental (Alesón), oval openings (Alfaro), moon (Cidamón), butterfly (Aguilar), sun (Fuenmayor) and star (Calahorra), among others. Because the motifs repeat, the pieces form a continuous grid when placed together, and within the same series you can combine a 20 cm wall with a thin screen in the same pattern.

How to choose: four criteria

• Function of the panel: if it has to stand on its own, the 20 cm block; if it sits between posts or as pierced cladding, the 6, 8 or 9 cm pieces.
• Privacy and light: a breeze block filters views but does not block them completely; if you need more opacity in a specific area, plan for it from the start of the design.
• Pattern and colour: almost everything is white, so the motif is what gives character. If you want grey, look at the Pradejón.
• Quantity: multiply the m² by the pieces per m² on the spec sheet (12.5, 16 or 25) and add 5 to 10% for cuts and finishing. For example, 10 m² of 20 × 40 cm breeze block is 125 pieces, between 132 and 138 with the margin.

Installation: what the spec sheets say

Laying is simple masonry, with mortar and patience over the joints. These are the guidelines given in the spec sheets:

1. Start from a level base.
2. Dry-lay the first course to line the joints up with the posts or the ends of the panel.
3. Bed the pieces in mortar and keep the joint constant so the pattern stays aligned.
4. Keep the joints clean on both faces; the spec sheets for the Arenzana, Hormilleja, Navajún, Turruncún, Bobadilla, Redal, Villarta, Santa Coloma, Ciriñuela, Rasillo and Santa Engracia models state a carefully finished surface on both faces.
5. For long runs, or tall or wind-exposed fences, provide intermediate posts or pilasters and reinforcement according to the height of the panel.

The spec sheets do not set maximum heights, so the height of the panel, the foundation and the reinforcement depend on each job: check them with your project engineer or architect. For the pierced block wall, our concrete blocks buying guide and the one on exposed concrete blocks will help; if the ground has a level difference, also see concrete retaining walls. To finish the surroundings of the fence, there are the guides to concrete planter boxes and to tree surrounds and lawn edging.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a breeze block screen and a pierced block?

The difference is the thickness and, with it, the use. According to the spec sheets, the 20 cm format is a block for building pierced walls, and the 6, 8 or 9 cm formats are screen pieces for light fencing and pierced cladding.

How many breeze blocks do I need per square metre?

It depends on the format: 12.5 pieces per m² for the 20 × 40 cm ones, 16 for the 25 × 25 cm ones and 25 for the 20 × 20 cm ones. Work out your area and add 5 to 10% for cuts and finishing.

Can concrete breeze blocks be used outdoors?

Yes, all the spec sheets specify them for outdoor use. They are precast concrete with a natural finish, unpainted and untreated.

Can a breeze block wall stand on its own?

The spec sheets specify the 20 cm format for panels that have to stand on their own, and the thin pieces for screens between posts. The safe height and the reinforcement depend on each job, so check with your project engineer or architect, especially for tall or wind-exposed fences.

How are concrete breeze blocks installed?

They are bedded in mortar on a level base. Dry-lay the first course, keep the joint constant so the pattern stays aligned, and leave the joints clean on both faces.

If you already know the use, the rest is a matter of pattern: look at the Arenzana breeze block for a pierced wall in three thicknesses, the Pradejón breeze block for a panel in white or grey, or the Islallana breeze block for a pierced coping. More models in the breeze blocks and screens and concrete fencing and enclosures collections.