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Frequently Asked Questions
Who can use our products?
How can I get information about your products?
Why is the engraving not very deep?
What is the brick filled with?
Who pays for shipping?
How many letters or characters can I put on a brick?
What is the advantage of the hardened glass-fill method over paint, grout or epoxy fill?
How long will the brick engraving last?
How do we send our order to you?
Does BMI install the bricks?
How should the bricks/tiles be installed?
Can BMI provide blank filler bricks?
How long does the surface of a brick remain durable?
Can we place additional orders in the future?
What type of warranty/replacement guarantee is provided?
How much money does it take to start a project?
When do I need to place my order with BMI to make sure I receive my bricks on time?
What types of logos are available?
What is the cost for programming a logo?
Do you have a minimum order?
How long does it take to receive the order?
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Who can use our products?
Everyone! We provide our products to:· Organizations
looking for fund raising
· Organizations looking for promotional gifts
· Organizations looking for employee recognition
· Architects and developers looking for continuous
designs
· Individuals for various reasons: new home,
wedding, pet grave marker, etc.
· Many, many more!
How can I get information about your
products?
Go to our "Contact Us" page, complete and
submit our form. We will contact you to confirm your
information and send our brochure within 48 hours. Contact
our corporate headquarters at 1-800-634-8948.
Our receptionist will forward you to your customer service/sales
rep., they will take your information down and send
our brochure within 48 hours.
Why is the engraving not very deep?
It is simply not necessary with our patented Vitralase®
and Vitrix® laser engraving processes. In
fact, depth is a disadvantage. To explain: Depth has
been defined as durability, not so. The very element
that creates breakdown, is depth. Deep engraving contributes
towards weakening and voids the brick of
its strength. Over a period of time or simply
at installation, the small projected pieces of the characters
are subject to chipping or breaking away. This causes
the letters to be illegible.
· Environmental debris (sand, food, etc.) falls
within the deep engraving, in turn, causing
a maintenance problem.
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What is the brick filled with?
Hardened glass! Our patented Vitralase®
and Vitrix® processes are created with the
technology of lasers. The lasers apply extreme intensive
heat to a specific area, in turn, transforming the clay
product i.e., brick paver, quarry tile, etc. to a hardened
glass.
Who pays for shipping?
BMI's price structure already includes shipping to your
location within the 48 continental U.S. BMI's has statistically
found, organizations working on a brick campaign need
to know up front what there bottom line cost is. BMI
includes the shipping so that there is no undetermined
cost that can effect the clients profit margin.
How many letters or characters
can I put on a brick?
Our standard is 20 characters per line (including
spaces and punctuation). However, if you have a special
requirement, we would be glad to review your request
and determine the additional cost (if any) and the possibilities.
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What is the advantage of the
hardened glass-fill method over paint, grout or epoxy
fill?
The hardened glass-fill method eliminates fading, oxidizing,
maintenance cost, etc. Let us explain:· Glass
is inorganic, an inert substance and is not subject
to chemicals, acid rain or infrared and ultraviolet
rays i.e., sunlight. Impossible to fade, oxidize, peel
and is virtually maintenance free. Example: If you have
ever walked along the seashore and have come across
a piece of "sea glass". It was once a part
of a glass bottle, the glass is still brown or green.
However, it has a frosted appearance from the abrasion
of the seashore tide moving in and out. It is constantly
in the ultraviolet rays, but it is still brown or green.
Other fill methods, such as, paint, epoxies and grouts
are organic substances and are subject to infrared and
ultraviolet rays. Over a period of time, these substances
will fade and break down, due to sunlight, acid rain,
chemicals and the environment. Cost and inconvenience
becomes a factor in refilling each brick, or if left
unattended, a cosmetically unappealing brick. In most
cases, breakdown would result in replacement of the
brick.
Example: Epoxies (plastic) are susceptible to breakdown,
they begin to shrink and fade. Shrinking, this allows
moisture between the epoxy and the brick. This may allow
algae to grow causing a maintenance problem and a cosmetically
unappealing brick. Expansion and contraction is also
a problem. The rate of expansion and contraction of
epoxy vs the brick itself are at different rates. This
may allow the epoxy to separate from the brick. Paints
and grouts are just as susceptible to breakdown, in
some similar ways as epoxy. However, they are more susceptible
to chipping, especially if pressure cleaning for maintenance
is required. Just as you pressure clean a building to
remove the old oxidized paint to prepare for repainting,
this same effect would occur with the bricks, causing
a maintenance problem and a cosmetically unappealing
brick.
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How long will the brick engraving
last?
We guarantee a lifetime of durability. Our patented
Vitralase® and Vitrix® processes
will last as long as the durability of the brick's surface.
How do we send our order to you?
BMI provides the files that you will use to compile
the donor text information. These documents are sent
via e-mail as attachments along with our tip sheet to
assist you in your text compiling processing.
Does BMI install the bricks?
BMI does not provide installation, as our shipments
are sent throughout the USA and abroad. We do recommend
a professional masonry/contractor for installation of
your bricks and tiles located in your area.
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How should the bricks/tiles be installed?
Bricks
Most of our clientele install their bricks in a sand
base procedure. This allows for your campaign to continue
on by removing the blank bricks and installing your
engraved bricks. This form of installation is permanent,
95% of our clientele install in a sand base. The bricks
cannot be removed with ease, specific equipment is required
to lift out the first brick, allowing you to continue
removing the blank bricks and replacing them with your
engraved bricks. Your brick area always has a "finished"
look as you continue with your fundraising campaign.
Tiles
Most of our clientele install their tiles by applying
thin set to the back of each tile. However, we recommend
that you hire a local professional masonry/contractor
for installation of your tiles.
Can BMI provide blank filler bricks?
Yes, we can. In fact, most clients do not want the hassle
of locating a distributor, coordinating delivery and
concerning themselves with dye lots that may vary drastically.
BMI can handle the ordering and delivery of blank bricks
along with your engraved bricks so that our clients
are hassle free.
How long does the surface of a
brick remain durable?
The answer is - indefinitely. How many brick surfaces
have you seen that are worn down? Not many! Although
bricks that have been on the ground for hundreds of
years do show signs of wear. For example: In the city
of Philadelphia, brick streets, buildings, walls, etc.
have been constructed and have lasted for hundreds of
years. Horses and buggies traveled across these bricks
time and time again, causing wear. Our ancestors produced
bricks with the skills of their time. With today's technology,
computer-controlled high temperature kilns produce a
far superior brick.
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Can we place additional orders
in the future?
Yes! Most of our clientele continue their brick
campaigns year after year. The purpose of any brick
campaign is to raise funds and maximize your revenue,
don't limit your campaign. Although most of our clientele
do want their brick location to look "complete".
We offer blank bricks along with your engraved bricks
to provide the completed appearance. Simply place additional
orders, removing the blank bricks and replacing them
with the engraved bricks. Hint: Keep your brick orders
to at least our minimum of 100 bricks. This not only
saves you money per order, it also saves you money with
your brick installer.
What type of warranty guarantee
is provided?
We offer a lifetime guarantee on our engraved mark,
as long as the brick surface is not compromised. The
replacement guarantee depends on the replacement conditions.
There may be other conditions that are unforeseen, BMI
would need to determine the best result for the client
and BMI. Here are a few conditions and our resolutions.
· Client needs a brick replaced because there
was a misspelling provided by the client
on an order?
BMI would replace the brick at the same cost originally
charged to the client along with $4.50 for shipping
and handling within the 48 continental U.S.
· Client needs a brick replaced because the
brick arrived damaged during shipping?
BMI would replace the brick at no cost to the client.
· Client needs a brick replaced because the
brick was damaged during installation?
BMI would replace the brick at the same cost originally
charged to the client along with $4.50 for shipping
and handling within the 48 continental U.S.
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How much money does it take to
start a project?
This is a very hard question to answer. Your project
would drastically vary from a project for a local high
school vs a professional football stadium. This cost
cannot be determined by us, however, we can provide
you with ideas that will assist in keeping your cost
down. Let us explain: You will need to create a flyer
or brochure for your brick campaign. A local printer
may be willing to discount his services provided you
offer a free brick acknowledging his contribution. This
offers you a discount on printing services and offers
the local printer a great source of advertisement.
When do I need to place my order with
BMI to make sure I receive my bricks on time?
BMI strongly recommends that we are informed of your
deadline as soon as possible. This date will allow us
to determine the time frame we need to receive your
order and our criteria to meet your deadline. Our standard
turn around time varies, as our existing clients continuously
order. BMI is proud to say that we have met our clients
deadlines as long as our criteria are met. Please contact
your assigned customer service/sales representative
to discuss further details.
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What types of logos are available?
Just about anything! We offer our
free clipart library (provided in our brochure
and online). This allows you to charge an additional
fee to your donors if you so choose. BMI does not charge
an additional cost for this service. We can also program
your own logo, a donor's corporate logo, signature,
etc. at a one-time programming fee. BMI does require
that logos are provided in the following IBM compatible
Black and white formats, 300 dpi or higher, with the
following extensions - .PLT, .CDR, .EPS, .JPG, .PCX
and .BMP.
What is the cost for programming
a logo?
This cost varies depending on the complexity of your
logo. However, our standard charge for a logo is a
minimum
of $75.00 and our standard charge for a signature is
$30.00.
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Do you have a minimum order?
Yes and no! In order to benefit from our standard
price structure we require a minimum of 100 bricks.
However, this does not require the quantity to be one
size. You may be offering 4x8's and 8x8's to your donors.
Your 100 brick order can consist of (86) 4x8's and (14)
8x8's. We do receive and process orders less than 100
bricks. Please contact your assigned customer service/sales
representative to discuss further details and ask about
our credit policy.
How long does it take to receive
the order?
BMI schedules your order for processing as soon
as all criteria are met. Your assigned customer service/sales
representative will inform you of your scheduled processing
date and estimated shipping and arrival date based on
your requirements.
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BRICK MARKERS NEWS