How to Build a Brick Wall Cambridge MA

Steps

1. Bricks are intended to be laid as a veneer wall (meaning against another wall, like on a house).
2. Make sure you have all the tools that you will need. If you are laying bricks against a house, make sure that there is enough foundation sticking out to support the bricks. If there isn't you'll need to pour a concrete footing several days in advance to support your wall.
3. Start by putting a brick down at each end of where you want the wall to go. Don't put any mortar down yet. Measure from the outer edge of the brick at one end to outer edge of the brick at the other end to get the length of your wall. Bricks come in a wide variety of sizes: short, long, wide, skinny etc. Measure your bricks and see how long they are. For example, if your brick is 9 5/8 inches long, then you would measure down your wall and mark a few marks at 10 inch intervals. You want to add about 3/8 of an inch onto the length of the bricks to compensate for the mortar in between the bricks called a "joint".
4. Now that you have measured you can start laying bricks at both ends. If you are by yourself, then start at one end and lay a few bricks. Put your level on top of them and make sure the bricks are level. Measure away from the wall on both ends of the bricks that you just laid. Put your level against the face of the bricks to make sure that they are straight.
5. After you have a couple of courses laid on both ends, hook a line up at both ends so it lines up with the very top of the bricks. Now you can go through the middle and lay every brick to the line. Make sure as you go that you stay on those lines that you marked earlier, or else you will end up with a hole that is too big or too small.
6. Keep laying your ends up then fill in the middle till you get to your destined height. Make sure you check with a level in the middle of the wall every once in a while to make sure that it is staying level. If one side gets too high, lay the bricks tighter on the end.

Tips

• Some bricks are more dry than others, so check the joints after about 5 courses. If they are getting dry, then strike them with a tooler for cleaning joints called a "jointer".
• When laying the ends, make sure that they are staying plum up and down.
• After every 5 or 6 courses, nail metal ties into the studs of the wall and bend them so they rest on top of the brick. This ties the brick wall to the house or building so your bricks don't fall down.
• Know how wide your bricks are, in case you are trying to hit a desired height.

Warnings

• If you are using scaffolding, make sure that it is set up properly.
• Always wear safety gear when cutting bricks and mixing mortar.
• Wear hard hats, especially if someone is working above you. Bricks hurt if they fall on you.

Things You'll Need

• Mortar mix
• Trowel
• Hammer
• Level
• Line
• Water
• Jointer
• Brush
• Tape Measure
• Nails
• Wall Ties
• Bricks
• Wheelbarrow
• Shovel
• Safety Gear

Sources and Citations

• A Video of How Bricks Are Made: http://blog.nam.org/archives/2006/04/cool_stuff_bein_6.php

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