Brickwork
Brick is a virtually maintenance free material that resist the elements, as well as moisture, fire, and much general wear and tear. It is also fairly soundproof, and does not lose its colouring with age.
These properties make brick an ideal house building material, alongside its capacity to insulate against cold and retain heat. As well as its common use in house building, brick is often effectively implemented in garden design. One procedure of bricklaying that can be practised by the DIY enthusiast is building a garden wall.
Bricklaying: Unlike a house, a garden wall does not need to have physical function and is a good place to start for a beginner to bricklaying.~
Before the mortar is mixed, lay the first set of bricks or try a full dry run to ensure that your design works. On any brickwork, the vertical joints are staggered and do not line up making the wall more stable. Don’t forget to allow space for the mortar inbetween each brick (about 10mm). Use the spirit level to practice adjusting your vertical and horizontal planes.
Highly important to the creation of a solid and lasting wall is the laying of good foundations. The foundations must be strong enough and deep enough to bear the weight of the brick wall. For a light garden wall (about a metre high) a foundation of 30cm deep should be sufficient. If however the ground is unstable and in bad soil you may need a depth of 46cm.
There are varying styles of bricks, but for most general builds like a garden wall you will only require medium density facing bricks. For interior brickwork, the bricks are called commons.
If you need to cut the bricks, you will need a bolster; a wide bladed chisel. Tap the bolster firmly with a club hammer to achieve the desired effect. It is advisable to practice this method on some old bricks until you are confident with your technique.
To prepare the mortar, you will need:
1 part cement: 5 parts soft builder’s sand
If your brickwork is in an exposed location or is below ground level the mix should be 1:4.
Only add enough water to make the mix pliable but still firm. It should not be runny and should hold to your trowel if you turn it upside down. Plasticizer can readdress the balance if required.
The bricks themselves will have an indent on one side, known as a ‘frog’. When constructing your wall, lay the brick frog side up, so that when you fill it with mortar it leaves no gaps in the wall.
As you build, follow these checks with each level, or as often as you need:
• Gauge - check the height of the course
• Level - make sure the course is level
• Plumb - make sure that the wall is vertical
• Straight - make sure the wall is straight
Do not panic if your wall is not wholly level. Bricks are not produced in a perfect shape.
Repointing: Brickwork repointing is the process in which damaged or deteriorating mortar is replaced within brickwork. Also referred to just as pointing or tuck pointing, the process renovates the existing brickwork both aesthetically and structurally.
If you are repointing an older structure it may have used a lime mix mortar. This type of mortar is softer than the bricks and will weather and diminish where the bricks have not. Loose mortar only should be raked out to about an inch deep. Do not use any hard tooling devices like angle grinders or chisels or you risk damaging the actually brick. For repointing the mortar, you will require a specific pointing trowel which is smaller than the standard masonry trowel.
Replacing a Brick: In theory, a brick wall or chimney should be repairable and should be able to avoid being demolished altogether. Where the damage exceeds a mere repointing job, in an older lime-based mortar wall individual bricks are removable and replaceable.
If the structure is particularly old, the main issue will be in finding a decent replacement. Chip off a piece of the damaged brick and take it to your builder’s merchant or brick dealer for specialist advice.
Once you have your replacement brick:
• Don gloves and goggles and chip out the damaged brick carefully in pieces at a time. Ensure that the old mortar is removed and clean all debris from the hole.
• Make the surrounding bricks damp so that they absorb little water from the mortar, and then lay your new mortar mix on the base and sides of the hole.
• Dampen the brick and mortar the topside, and slide it into the hole. Pack in the mortar and then scrape away the excess.
• Match the existing brick joints with the one you have just created.
It may be tempting to reinsert the same damaged brick with its untarnished face outwards, but this is inevitably only a temporary solution that leaves you with a worse structure.
Brickwork Tools: These are some of the tools that you will require to complete brickworking tasks.
Brick Masonry Trowel
Trowels range between 10 to 14 inches in size, depending on the type of task they are designed for. Beginners to brickwork will probably find a trowel
with a smaller blade size and narrow trowel easier to handle, as more advanced and larger trowels have a rounded edge on one side used for rough cutting. The rounded edge is practical for both right and left handed users.
Pointing Trowel
The pointing trowel is smaller than the standard masonry trowel and is straight on both edges. It is used for repointing old brickwork and for finishing. When any trowel is out of use for some time, it is advisable to coat it lightly with oil to protect it from rusting.
Spirit Level
For standard brickwork the measurement of a spirit level is usually 900mm or 1200mm, although they are available in a variety of sizes. The spirit level keeps the brickwork horizontal and plumb (vertical).
Club/Lump Hammer
Used with bolster or chisel. Ensure that the head is not loose before each use.
Bolster
The bolster is used for cutting bricks, and should be maintained by grinding it to keep it sharp.
Cold Chisel
The chisel has a smaller blade than the bolster, and is implemented when cutting into brickwork after laying.
