Are you thinking of having a fence around your house? Or a mail box enclosure? But spending a big amount on such a small thing doesn’t seem to be a good idea for you. Then don’t worry at all, you can do it by yourself. Yes you can! But now you must be thinking how can you build a fence when you don’t even know how to lay bricks. Well, we are here to help you out with this. So, let’s start with the basic idea of bricklaying techniques and few tips to build a small piece for yourself.
Material and Tools Required
The building materials and tools required to start with bricklaying should be gathered first. You will require mortar, masonry sand, brick, wheelbarrow, plywood for mortar boards, water source, shovel, foxtail brush, level, mortar hoe for mixing, trowel and pointing tool or jointer. Bring the material according to the necessity. Try not to bring excess of cement as it can catch moisture and will be of no use once it becomes hard.
How to Lay Bricks?
Gather all the materials and tools required in the process at one place where you have to start up with the bricklaying as, once you start, you can’t quit the place even for few minutes, it may lead to the wastage of material. Following are the steps which you need to follow while laying bricks.
- The place where you are going to start should have a proper base. If it does not have a proper base then you need to fix it first.
- Pour a concrete foundation and level it. Try to have a plain slab but not the finished one. Leave it a bit rough so that it can hold the bricks efficiently. Refer to types of concrete for detailed information.
- Make a layout of the wall or the mail box you are trying to make. It will guide you when you will be making it and will help you to rectify the mistake at the right time.
- Place the mortar board at a regular interval of the required place, so that you can easily use the mortar at the place you are working without wasting time.
- Make a mixture of masonry sand and cement in a wheelbarrow. For bigger projects like building houses, you need to have a cement mixer to mix the material.
- Put this mixture on the mortarboard but don’t forget to wet the board before putting the mixture on it because dry board will soak the moisture of the mixture and will harden it.
- Now place a thick layer of approximately 1 inch extending 4 to 6 inch wide with a trowel. Place the brick on the top and tap a bit with the help of your trowel handle. Cut the excess mortar popping out of the side of the bricks due to the pressure. Carry on the process with 6 to 8 bricks and prepare a proper line.
- After completing the first course, start the second course. Put the layer or mortar on the first course and then place the brick between the joint of the brick in the first course. This will give strength to the construction. Cut the brick to complete the wall in a proportionate manner if required.
- Keep on measuring the level of the course with the help of spirit or carpenter’s level.
- Carry on with the process till you complete the required structure. You can also refer to the brick layouts for better designs in home construction.
- Use a jointer to smooth the mortar on the bricks joint in every layer.
- Now rub the bricks with the foxtail brush which will remove the excess mortar from the face of the bricks.
- Now leave it to dry. Daily splash water on your constructed piece for few days so as to add more strength to it.
Now that you have one of the easiest brick installation method you would have definitely get the answer for how to lay bricks. You can also go through how to build a brick wall and how to build brick stepsfor taking your construction to the next step. So just pick up your tool, bring your material and start with your own piece of construction. After all, the things we prepare by our own hand are more close to our heart.