Build a Quality Brick Wall

Once you have picked out your project you need to figure out how many bricks you are going to need. Two different standard brick types are used for most jobs, there are many more but the most common are modular brick and oversized or jumbo brick. To figure out how many you need measure your wall length and height. After you have determined your dimensions if you are using modular take your square foot times seven and this will give you how many Bricks Building you need. If you are using jumbo's then take your square foot times five and one half. So if your wall is 100 sq ft you would need 700 modular brick and if using Jumbo's you would need 550 brick. Also, figure about a 5% scrap rate on top of your count for cut bricks that you will need.

After you have your brick figured out you need to get all your tools gathered. You are going to need a masons trowel, tuck pointer, striking iron, masons brush, mason's hammer, brick chisel, masons line, line blocks, line trigs, line bars, wheelbarrow, mortar boards, cement mixer, and possible mason saw if you have a lot of cuts to make.

Next, get your job area set up with your brick-and-mortar boards. Place the brick about three feet back from your wall and a mortar board about every four feet apart with the brick in between them. Next, check the bond of your brick, this is a very important step in the brick wall setup. Place one row of brick down on your footer or brick ledge that is evenly spaced with a 3/8 or 1/2 of an inch gap between each brick unit. Try to adjust them so they are all equal and that you end up with a half or a whole brick at each end, this is not always possible but most generally you can adjust your gaping to make the work. Now that you have your bond figured out you need to mark where your bond points are with a pencil. You can either mark the wall you are covering or the footer, just put them somewhere where you can see them.

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The next step in the process is to get your mortar mixed and start laying brick. You need to first build your leads, you do this by laying 5 bricks out in a row and being sure that they are on the bond, level, and straight,t and with about a 5/8 of an inch gap between the wall and the brick. Then proceed to the next course, this time start with a half brick at the beginning and lay the brick out till you are left with a half of a brick stepped out on the course below, continue this process till you can't step up anymore and then repeat the process at the opposite end of the wall over again.

Once your leads are up it is time to fill the brick that goes in between the leads. Put the line up from lead to lead on the same course, you can use the line blocks with the trigs or use brick line bars to accomplish this step. Bricks Company UK, After the line is in place spread your mortar down the wall and start laying in your brick, be sure to stay on your bond marks or the brick will not fit right. Stay about 1/8 of an inch off the line when laying in brick and be sure no bricks are touching it. Your brick must also be level with the top of the line as well so a few things are going on that you have to keep an eye on to ensure a good brick installation.

When you have a few courses in you need to strike or rake the wall, it all depends on how fast your mortar is setting up. If you are striking you will need to keep a close eye on previously laid courses and strike frequently. If you are raking your joints you need to wait until the joints are a bit more set before finishing the joints. Be sure to brush down the wall after you finish joints it will make a huge improvement on the cosmetics of it. And if you are striking be sure to strike it one more time after brushing the brick wall down.