The rules of building brick walls aren’t as hard as they appear if you know how to apply them. It is important to use good quality materials for the brick wall and to give all your effort to the construction process. You can save a considerable amount of money if you know how to build a brick wall on your own as part of building your home or extending your property. You will need to spend some money in purchasing the required materials, and you need some time, ideally over the weekend.
Requirements for brick wall construction
In order to build the brick wall, you have to prepare all of the materials necessary for its construction. Building a brick wall cost will depend on the quality of the building material used and where it is sourced. The longevity of the wall is directly dependent upon investing in good quality wall materials, even if they cost a bit more. For a brick wall, you will also need some masonry tools in addition to bricks, cement, and water. Trowel, i.e. a small tool that has a metal blade, and shovel, as well as a level indicator and a measuring tape, will be included in these tools. The construction process can begin once you are equipped with the right tools.
Important Steps of Building Brick Walls
A Fredericton based masonry contractor Atlantic Brick and Stone recommends to hire best mason from your area to build a beautiful brick wall but in case if you want to build yourself then follow these simple steps.
Step1 Proper Measurements
It is crucial for the foundation or footing of the brick wall to carry all the load, and hence the foundation structure should be able to support the full load. If you have a wall 3 ft. above ground and a foundation 2 ft. deep, you have a 3:1 ratio. The ideal foundation for a wall 6 feet tall should be two feet. The extra footing should be placed on either side of the wall. When you are planning to build a brick wall with a width of two bricks, you need a foundation with a length of four bricks.
Step2 Foundation
Lay the foundation with the mortar mix and bricks after digging the ground. Cement, sand and water are mixed to prepare mortar. The proportions of these ingredients should be based on the manufacturer’s instructions. Brick walls cannot be built with mortar that is too dry or too wet. Be sure to fill all of the gaps in the foundation with mortar, then use the trowel to spread it among all of them.
Step3 Wall Construction
Let the foundation dry for some time when it is laid. Once it dries, you can start the wall construction. Pour a little water on the bricks to make it wet and prevent the mortar from becoming powdery and non-effective after absorbing water from the bricks. You should start working from one side of the foundation. Make a layer of mortar using the trowel, and place bricks off to either side of the foundation. You can use a cord and tie it through the bricks at both ends. A straight line of bricks will be ensured by this cord. Set the brick on top of the mortar so that the cord is securely in place. Install the second brick after the first brick is set. Apply some mortar on the sides. Then follow the same sequence until the entire layer is complete.
Step4 Inspection of the Wall
Keep in mind that no space can be left between each brick. To fill in the gaps, you will need to use the trowel. Align the alignment correctly by using the level indicator. Build the second layer of the bricks in a similar manner to the first. Build up the layers until you reach the desired height. Let your brick wall construction process dry for a while, and you’re done.
Step5 Remove the Excess mortar
You are intended to have no difficulty understanding and completing this seemingly challenging task with these simple brick wall details. You have to brush off the excess mortar in order to make the wall neat and presentable. You will follow the same process when constructing a wall from stone, although certain instructions for the type of stone might be specific.