Bricklaying tips from Sunny Days Building Services

Bricklaying is considered one of the more approachable construction skills, and many self-builders are understandably keen to give it a go. But this isn’t a tasked to be taken on lightly, especially if you’re building structural walls. Look good in a nice garden. 

The easiest route to great results is enlisting a good brickie. Using an experienced tradesman may be cost-effective, too, as it’s likely to speed up the build and minimise mistakes.

If you do want to tackle an involved bricklaying project, it makes sense to practice . Even the most confident DIYer will need to get to grips with the process first.

Trying your hand at building a garden wall is a great place to start. You’ll learn everything from setting out the footprint and maintaining level and square to mixing the mortar, bedding the bricks and finishing joints neatly.

Before you begin your project, you’ll need to figure out the number of bricks required. Standard types are 215mm x 102.5mm x 65mm.

To get an accurate picture of the number required for the task in hand, however, you need to account for a 10mm mortar bed. So to come up with the correct calculations, input your brick size as 225mm x 102.5mm x 75mm for standard products.

Project guide: Brick wall step-by-step

You will need
Brick trowel Old board Tape measure Spirit level Brick/string line	Shovel Club hammer Bolster Stiff brush

Step 1:

After any necessary foundations have been prepared, lay out the bricks at both ends of your wall where the pillars will start. Using your string line, make a straight guideline at brick height between the two outside bricks

Step 2:

Heap five shovels full of sand and one of cement on an old board. Turn shovel to mix to a consistent colour. Form a central hollow, pour in water and mix. Repeat for a smooth, creamy texture that’s wet but not too loose

Step 3:

Lay a 1-2cm mortar bed along the string line. Starting at one end, lay the first brick and tap slightly to ‘bed in’. ‘Butter up’ one end of the next brick with mortar and abut it to the first. Repeat using string line as a guide

Step 4:

At the point where you want your pillars to start, place a brick side-on to the end of the wall. As you build up the wall, each consecutive course of pillar bricks must be laid in the opposite direction

Step 5:

When building pillars, at certain courses you’ll need to lay half-bricks. To make a cut, place the brick on its side, locate the bolster at the split point and strike the head firmly with a club hammer. It should split cleanly first time

Originally appeared on https://www.self-build.co.uk/how-build-brick-wall/