Do-it-yourself bricklaying - where to start?

Despite recent advances in the construction industry, brick construction is still very popular. Many builders prefer brick due to its high strength, good heat and sound insulation, and durability. But you can take advantage of all the advantages of this building material only if the brickwork is properly executed.

Classification of brickwork

Depending on the technology, the following types of masonry are distinguished:

• with cladding. In this case, the facing masonry is necessarily tied up with the wall (using a metal mesh or separate rods);
• reinforced. In this case, reinforcing bars are laid in the solution layer. This increases the strength of the masonry in the transverse direction;
• decorative. It is allowed to use different types of bricks (for example, glazed and clay). For a greater visual effect, 1 poke and 2-3 spoon rows are often combined;

• solid masonry. A solid array is laid out of the bricks, they can be laid both short (butt) and long (spoon part).
• lightweight masonry. It is used only in 1-storey buildings, acts as a heat and sound insulator. 2 walls are laid out of brick at a small distance from each other, then the space between them is filled with insulation (for example, mineral wool). To give rigidity and strength to the structure on top of the wall, they can be combined with diaphragms, for the same purpose bonded rows are used - in this case, ½ of the brick enters the space between the walls.

According to the masonry technique, there are:

• back-to-back masonry. Most often used when using a plastic non-rigid solution. The solution is laid in such a way that in the central part its thickness is about 2.5 - 3 cm, a larger amount of solution is left at the edge. The brick is laid and strongly pressed, shifting the brick, the mixture left at the edge in a larger amount fills the vertical seam.

When using this method, complete closure of the seams is not ensured.

• clutch masonry. Used when working with hard mixtures. The laying technology consists in the fact that the mortar is applied and leveled with a trowel for several bricks at a time (for 3 spoon or 5 bond bricks). Since the mortar is hard, to fill the vertical seam, it adheres to the vertical edge of the already laid brick with a trowel. The new brick is laid and moved forward. Excess solution is removed with a trowel.

This method provides high masonry strength, but is more laborious compared to butt masonry.

• back-to-back masonry with pruning. It is also used when working with a hard mixture and is a combination of laying against and against. The mortar is applied according to the same technique as when laying with a clamp, and the brick is laid as when laying butt.

Materials and fixtures for brickwork

Depending on the purpose of the wall, either solid or hollow bricks can be used (they have increased heat and sound insulation). Clay or silicate bricks can also be used.

For the preparation of the mortar, cement, lime or cement-lime mortars are used, they can be prepared both with your own hands, and you can purchase a ready-made dry mixture. Most often, Portland cement grade 400 - 600 is used to prepare mortars. The introduction of a small amount of lime or clay into the mixture improves its plasticity and ensures a gradual curing of the mortar (water from the mixture will evaporate gradually).

For the same purpose, you can add a little ordinary dishwashing detergent to the mixture.

The mixing of the components of the mixture should be done manually or in a concrete mixer in a dry state. Then, gradually adding water, it is necessary to achieve such a concentration of the solution at which it will be sufficiently plastic, but at the same time it must retain its shape and not spread on a horizontal surface.

As for the tools, for laying bricks with your own hands you will need:

• container for preparing the solution (it is better to use a concrete mixer);
• a container for carrying the mortar directly to the place of laying bricks;
• trowel;
• nylon fishing line (with its help, the border of the laid out brick row will be fixed);
• building level;
• stitching;
• ordering - this device is used to control the rows of brickwork. It is made independently from a simple wooden board, on which rows of bricks are marked, taking into account the thickness of the seam and the height of the brick;
• plumb line (control of masonry deviation from the vertical);
• square (used to control the geometry of the corners of the building);
• a template in order to control the thickness of the seams;
• pick;
• mallet;
• mittens/gloves.

Video - Brick laying technology

Do-it-yourself bricklaying is not difficult, subject to a few simple rules:

• Before laying bricks directly, it is necessary to securely isolate the foundation from the wall with the help of roofing material.

• When working, you should always strive to use halves and other fractional parts of a whole brick as little as possible. To do this, the first row is laid out without mortar (but with gaps between the bricks).

It should be remembered that the most important elements in bricklaying are corners. If they are laid out without deviations from the vertical, then the laying of the wall will be greatly simplified.

• The corners of the future structure are laid out in 3-6 rows.

• Then you need to carefully define the border of the first and subsequent rows of bricks. To do this, a cord is pulled, which is fixed every 5 meters (to prevent sagging).

The cord is pulled only from the outside if the wall thickness does not exceed 2.5 bricks. With a thickness of more than 2.5 bricks, the cord must also be pulled from the inside.

• Depending on the masonry method, a mortar is applied, then a brick is laid, its surface must coincide with the stretched cord. Excess mortar is collected with a trowel. If the surface of the wall will not be plastered, then, without waiting for the solution to dry, you need to go through the seam with jointing.

When laying bricks with your own hands, it should be remembered that long vertical seams are unacceptable, this reduces the strength of the masonry. To comply with this rule, a dressing is arranged. The simplest option is spoon dressing - while the bricks of each subsequent row are shifted relative to the previous one. As a result, the vertical seam of the overlying row is at the level of the middle of the underlying brick.

Other, more complex dressing methods can be used, for example, chain, English, cross, Dutch, Gothic.

There are multi-row and single-row dressing. Transverse ligation is necessary in order to ensure uniform distribution of the load, and longitudinal ligation prevents delamination of the wall. From the point of view of strength, the scheme is considered optimal, in which 6 spoon and 1 bond rows alternate (used with a wall thickness of 1 brick). With a thickened wall, 1 bonder row can be started after 5 spoon rows.

In some cases, it is possible to facilitate the task of laying bricks. In this case, the inner and outer walls (120 mm) are laid out very carefully, and the space between them is filled with bricks without such strict control.

Properly executed brickwork guarantees the durability and safety of the building. In addition, brick walls will become a real pride of any owner.