Laying a brick. Features of brick walls

Brick houses are still popular due to their reliability and durability. And, although the construction and laying of walls is often entrusted to specialists, it is not difficult to do it yourself.

Types of brickwork

Brickwork is not only durable and of high quality. Using this material you can create a large number of drawings.

However, the complexity of the pattern requires greater skill in performing the work. Let's look at the most common masonry options:

Do-it-yourself chain bricklaying involves a constant series of tie and spoon rows. Mandatory condition: the joints must coincide vertically.

The cross pattern is distinguished by the ligation of the spoon masonry with horizontal seams.

Dutch masonry includes the connection of bonded and combined rows. The last of them is formed by horizontally alternating bricks placed using the butt and spoon method.

Gothic masonry is based on mixing the basic principles of masonry.

To obtain masonry in the English style, one brick must be laid with a bandage in two. Another condition is the alternation of a splice and two spoon rows.

Well masonry is considered the simplest and most rational. It is formed by erecting two half-brick walls and connecting them with a bridge vertically or horizontally.

In order for the result to be appropriate, you should choose a template for laying bricks and follow it.

How to determine the correctness of brick laying

Common challenges for new masons include laying bricks in a line at a uniform level and getting right angles. For the process to proceed correctly, the following must be observed:

• The first row requires special attention. Place them at a distance of three mm. The evenness of the row is checked using a special tool.
• The brick must be laid evenly both horizontally and vertically.

Equipment

Each master has and uses the following devices for bricklaying:

• To level the products, a hammer-pick and a grinder are used.
• To check the evenness of the wall, the master uses a plumb line, level and tape measure.
• Trowels are used not only for applying mortar, but also for preliminary adjustment of bricks.
• When making a corner in brickwork, rowing is necessary.
• Safety is ensured by special measures in the form of glasses.
• Since the work requires a solution, a container is needed.

Preparation of the solution

Mixing the solution is an important part of the job. It consists of sand, cement and water. For greater plasticity, washing powder or clay is added to it.

Laying hollow bricks using this mortar is prohibited, because this will violate their hermetic properties.

For working in a small team, it will be useful to purchase a concrete mixer and buy 300 or 400 grades of cement.

Laying corners

When choosing where to start laying bricks, pay attention to the corners. Experienced craftsmen usually bring the corners above half the wall before starting work on the flat sections of the wall. This is not surprising, since half the correctness of the design depends on the evenness of the corners.

Note!

The perimeter of the future house is determined using a tightly stretched cord. To make the angle even, novice masons use the order. It helps to fix and correctly lay the first bricks.

Experienced craftsmen can do without this tool, relying on experience. To regulate the vertical, a plumb line or level is used.

Making seams

Since each row of brickwork is interspersed with mortar, you need to know the basic principles of working with it:

When choosing a waste floor, the solution should not only not end up on the outside of the wall, but also leave cracks, which will then be plastered.

Convex seams are classified as decorative. They are performed using a special tool. From available materials, you can use a pipe cut lengthwise.

Note!

A concave seam is not considered difficult to perform. It requires a stick or tube.

Smooth seams are considered the most optimal, since after them there is no need to further level the surface. They are often used in the manufacture of chimneys and fireplaces.

Main masonry

Immediately after the corners have been drawn, you can begin laying the wall. The corners will rise as the walls are built. But it is important that the cord does not sag. The brick is laid tightly to the corner on the previously applied mortar with a gap of 3 mm.

If there is a need to cut bricks, it makes sense to use a grinder. If this tool is not available, this work can be done with a pick.

To ensure the density of the masonry, take a little more mortar than necessary, and press down each brick thoroughly. What has come out must be assembled with a trowel. Don't be discouraged if you don't get the desired result right away. Sometimes it takes practice to get the job done right.

Note!

To ensure that the result obtained is correct, pay attention to the photo of the brick laying.

Strengthening masonry

This kind of work is necessary for those who want to extend the life of an old house instead of building a new one. Whatever the do-it-yourself brick laying scheme, before starting this work, you need to check the reliability of the foundation. If there are cracks in it
or ruptures, your structure will not last long.

After you are convinced of the reliability of the foundation, it makes sense to strengthen the wall with reinforcement and wire plaster. Other tools necessary for this work include chain-link mesh, a special solution for plastering walls, trowels, nails and wire.

Wall strengthening technology

The first stage of work is to clean the wall. Then you need to clean the seams and hammer in nails at a distance of no more than 100 mm so that the height of the head is 20 mm higher than the wall level.

Now you need to place the chain-link mesh as firmly as possible on the prepared nails. Instead of such a mesh, you can use ordinary wire. Only when forming cells should you pay special attention to the corners, avoiding holes in these places.

The next step is to plaster the wall. The composition necessarily includes cement and sand in a ratio of 1:3 or 1:4, as well as polymers to increase viscosity and plasticity.

For the basement part of the wall, a cement-lime mixture, which is water-resistant, can be used. To avoid lumps, the components of the composition must be sifted. The layer of plaster should be such that it covers the frame.

Conclusion

If you have decided to master the profession of a mason for the first time, you should not rush into the process of completing the work. Prepare materials and tools carefully.

Make a plan and calculate the number of bricks. And if you have decided on the masonry method and theoretically imagined the end result, you can begin the process.

DIY brick laying photo

Reading time ≈ 4 minutes

Today, the word “builder” has many meanings and includes many different professions. Previously, a word such as “bricklayer” was equivalent to a builder, since if a person could not build a house from stone (brick), then he could not be called a builder.

Main type of brickwork

For a person who decides to build a brick house, he needs to know how to lay bricks with his own hands. This is very important, since if all the rules are not followed, the reliability of the entire structure cannot even be said. Any brick laying is possible only when the foundation is strong and solidified. Before you start building the wall, you need to lay two layers of roofing felt on the foundation.

To make your own brickwork look beautiful, you need to choose its type. Here it is necessary to take into account that the wall should not only be strong, but also have an aesthetic appearance, have its own design. The simplest method that many builders use is chain masonry, when each row alternates, and there is a half-brick difference.

Brick laying process

To know how to lay bricks correctly, you should familiarize yourself with a little information. First you need to decide whether the wall will be built with one brick, one and a half or two bricks. Here the connection between the rows will play a big role. If you watch the video in the article on how to lay bricks, it will be much easier to know where to start and how to connect the rows together.

To do this, you will also need special tools: a trowel, a construction hammer, a square, a vertical and horizontal level. As well as tools for mixing the solution. The solution must be mixed enough to last for several hours of work. Before you learn how to lay brick, you need to learn how to mix mortar, since how firmly the wall will hold will depend on the quality of the mortar.

Before laying a brick wall, the corners should be laid out. This must be done using a vertical and horizontal level. If you can’t level the corners, then the wall will be crooked. But the corners should be laid out in several rows. When the wall rises, the corners should be raised higher.

When the corners are laid out in several rows, a cord (fishing line) is stretched from one corner to the other and the mortar is placed on the foundation. And after that a brick is placed along the cord.

If the cord is not well tensioned, then how to lay the brick evenly is a question. Before each brick is laid on the wall, mortar is applied to its end with a trowel, and only after that it is placed adjacent to another brick on the wall.

The cord should be stretched along the top level of the brick. To ensure that it fits tightly together, you should put a little more mortar on the wall and tap the brick with the end of the trowel, leveling it to the level of the cord. The protruding solution is picked up with a trowel.

With a little practice, you can quickly understand how to lay brickwork so that it is level. Of course, not everything will work out right away, and 1-2 rows will have to be laid again, but after 1-2 days everything will be done faster.

Brick has been and remains the most popular building material due to its qualities such as strength, fire resistance, low thermal conductivity, frost resistance, and environmental friendliness.

You can list its advantages endlessly, but the fact is a fact - the most solid buildings are built from brick, which will last for decades.

Is it possible to lay brick walls yourself? This is possible if you follow some rules. SNiP for various conditions of design, architecture and structures provide certain recommendations for the construction of brick houses.

How much does brickwork cost from specialists? They will answer you the same way: prices fluctuate depending on the time of year, complexity and speed of installation. But it has always been like this - the price of one brick will be equal to the cost of working with it. That is, if a brick costs 100 rubles, then the mason will charge 100 rubles per piece for the work (provided that you provide all the building materials and tools).

Types of brickwork

Since bricks are not laid anyhow, but in a certain sequence, the types of brickwork also have their own names.

Masonry depending on material

• Brick(classical) - made from ordinary (ceramic) or sand-lime brick;
• Small and large block- from blocks of various sizes (cinder blocks, aerated concrete, foam concrete, ceramic or cement bricks. Here you should choose more carefully, since the weight of the brickwork will have a significant impact on the foundation of the house);
• Tesovaya- from processed stone of a certain geometric shape;
• Rubble- made from irregularly shaped stones containing rubble and cement.

Masonry, depending on the laying features

• Solid- is a monolithic structure, the width of which is half a brick. In this case, the bricks are located longitudinally in relation to the outer side of the wall;
• Lightweight and reinforced- the first is used for the construction of low-rise buildings (usually 1-2 floors), consists of two parallel walls built in half a brick. The cavity between the walls is filled with insulation. The second is used when the construction of reinforced structures is required - for the construction of walls experiencing increased load. In this case, the walls are reinforced transversely, laying a metal mesh every three masonry rows.
• Decorative- this type of brickwork is used almost everywhere, because with its help they decorate wall facades, arches, columns. When decorative masonry, you can combine different types of bricks (for example, silicate and ceramic), but this requires additional reinforcement.

Important! It is not recommended to erect a completely hollow wall to avoid subsidence and collapse of the structure.

Brickwork of a corner of 1 brick: “Multi-row dressing system”, video:

1.5 bricks: “Multi-row dressing system”, video:

In 2 bricks: “Chain dressing system”, video:

Brickwork schemes

• chain- splice and spoon rows alternate, while the vertical seams of the spoon rows coincide;
• crusade- horizontal spoon sutures should be tied;
• Dutch- interlocking and mixed rows alternate (in this case, interfacing and interlocking bricks are laid in turn - this is how a mixed row is obtained);
• gothic- only mixed rows of seams;
• English- consists of 1 tychkovy and 2 spoon rows (with dressing in half a brick);
• multi-row- consists of 1 splice and 4 spoons side by side (with a half-brick bandage);
• multi-row without dressing horizontal masonry joints.

Dressing of butt seams

• chain;
• spoon;
• cross.

The first involves sequential row-by-row ligation of vertical joints. In this case, it is advisable to alternate the butt and spoon rows, covering the lower joints by half the length of the brick.

The second is an asymmetrical closing of joints half the length of the brick.

The third is to asymmetrically close the joints.

Masonry tools

• Trowel for applying the solution;
• Building level (for checking horizontal and vertical), rule (rail for checking the smoothness of the front surface of the masonry);
• A skein of thread for marking (threads are pulled to make a plumb line), a plumb line (to check verticality);
• Joining tool - used to create a seam (concave or convex);
• Hammer-pick;
• Spatula for mixing the solution;

How to prepare the solution

You will need:

• Sand
• Cement
• Lime

The solution is prepared at the rate of 1:4 (cement consumption for brickwork according to the “cement - sand” scheme). The powdered mixture is poured with water, gradually stirring until a creamy consistency is obtained. You can add lime to make the solution more flexible.

Advice! If masonry is a quarter of the width, then instead of preparing cement mortar, you can use regular tile adhesive. In this case, the seams will be much smaller and thinner.

The mortar should be distributed evenly over the surface, then the bricks will be at the same level, without protruding beyond the wall.

Important! If bricks are reused, they should be thoroughly moistened. This is necessary because dry bricks “pull” all the water out of the mortar, quickly drying it out, and this reduces the quality of the mortar and has a bad effect on the masonry itself.

Brick laying technology

For those who are taking on such work for the first time, we can recommend laying a trial (“sighting”) row without applying mortar to the bricks. This way you can clearly see the calculation of brickwork, how much material is consumed per row and how it is located in the row.

Advice! Bricks should be laid out intact, paying special attention to vertical seams. The seam between them can be made using a wooden block of small thickness: brick - block - brick. In this case, the distance between the bricks will be the same, and if necessary (already during laying on the mortar), you can adjust the thickness of the seam. Another block will allow you to adjust the thickness of the horizontal seam.

Let's assume that the foundation of the house is perfectly level. A brick is placed in the first row, and bars are applied to its edges (see photo) (two to a “poke”). Then a cement mortar is placed in the middle of the brick and distributed along the entire edge of the “bed”. To make the mortar adhere more firmly to the edge of the brick, you can tap the masonry.

Excess mortar will “come out” through the open sides; it can be collected with a trowel. After this, the bars are removed and placed on the next brick. If the level and rule are applied, then the seams on the front side will look more than perfect.

Angles

After laying out the first row, the corners are completed.

Important! At this stage, you should lay the brick especially carefully and carefully, since the next fences will be built with a focus on the corners.

To lay out the corners, you will need a level, a plumb line and a wooden strip - very strong and even, which will act as a “beacon”.

One end of the beacon is installed vertically in the ground, the second is fixed at the beginning of the future corner. All four beacons should be secured in this way, making sure to control the verticality of the slats with a plumb line. If all the beacons are installed perfectly straight, you can safely lay out the corners.

Brickwork corner in 1x1/2 bricks Video:

How to join bricks

If the butt seams are made poorly, the result will be poor sealing of the seams and large heat losses. In addition, you will need a lot of mortar to fill the joints, which means additional consumption of cement and sand. What can you do to get neat little seams?

Use the bars again. With their help, the brickwork of the external walls will not only be perfectly smooth, but will also have the same gaps. It is advisable to tap masonry bricks with a hammer after applying the mortar.

Walls

After marking the butt corners, you can begin building the walls. To control the verticality of the plane of the enclosing surfaces, you can use a cord. Drive a nail into the seam of the top row of the corner, tie the end of the cord to it, then stretch the rope with a slight slack to the adjacent corner.

Advice! The slack will be necessary to ensure that the cord wraps around each nail secured in the seam. By fastening the rope in as frequent increments as possible, you can more often control the evenness of the plane of the wall being built and spend less time and effort on leveling the bricks.

After several rows have been laid, you need to joint the joints using a special tool - this must be done immediately, before the cement mortar has completely hardened. Correctly done jointing will help give a complete look to your structure, and reinforcement of the brickwork will strengthen the structure.

In conclusion, I would like to add that it is good to lay brickwork when the air temperature does not drop below +10 C. It is recommended to carry out work in dry weather and only in the warm season. Experienced masons advise mixing the mortar exactly the amount of material that you can “handle” at a time. Otherwise, the structure of the sand-cement mixture will be disrupted by the addition of water and will lose its binding properties.

Otherwise, you should adhere to the tips and recommendations given above.

Man has always needed a roof over his head. At first he took what nature gave him - caves, holes, then he began to take from nature by force the material that was suitable for construction. Huts, huts, dugouts, wooden towers replaced caves. And then one day, a man discovered that there is no stronger material than stone, and over time he began to produce stone himself.

Brick- artificial stone created by man. It is not mined in quarries, but is produced in factories.

It has two main properties that distinguish it from other materials:

1. Strength. It can even be used for the construction of multi-story buildings. Where concrete begins to crumble, it can easily withstand the load.
2. Frost resistance. Even in the northern part of Russia it can withstand frosts. In addition, frost resistance also affects its service life. Withstand heavy loads and be exposed to severe frosts, it can still last for many years.

Application area

With such properties, the scope of application is very wide and includes:

1. Foundation. Due to the frost resistance of brick and (if laid correctly) its resistance to wet soil and groundwater, it is a very suitable material for building a foundation. In addition, it is able to withstand a lot of weight.
2. Base. The part of the building that lies on the foundation can also be made of brick.
3. Walls. Certain types of brick (exactly those used for walls) are heat-resistant and can provide good sound insulation. Thus, the interior of the building will always be warm, quiet and ideal for living.
4. Garage and utility rooms. It will allow such structures to stand for a long time and will keep out the cold and excess noise. In addition, its original, unadorned design can become an original feature that will make the garage an aesthetically attractive place.
5. Facade. Cladding with this material is a bold artistic decision that can be very successful, especially considering that there are many colors and shapes, and the mortar that holds the masonry together can be multi-colored and beautiful.
6. Fireplaces and stoves. The cladding of fireplaces and stoves is decorative, but due to its resistance to high temperatures and fire, brick can also be used for their direct construction.
7. Columns and pillars, supporting buildings. It is also perfect for a “house on stilts”.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like any material, brick has its pros and cons.

Among the advantages:

1. Strength. The house will be durable, and its roof will definitely not collapse over time. No corrosion, no cracks - live at least a hundred years.
2. Durability. The house can stand without repair for 100-150 years, which is a good indicator. Having built a country house, you can expect that your grandchildren will also use it.
3. Environmental friendliness. Brick consists of sand, water and clay - it is difficult to imagine more natural components. It does not pollute the environment, easily allows air and moisture to pass through (in sufficient volume to provide the conditions necessary for a person, and not enough to cause a flood), and also does not rot or mold, which compares favorably with wood.
4. Frost resistance. In the cold, nothing will be done to a brick house, which is an extremely useful property in the harsh Russian winters.
5. Versatility of use. You can build a house of any shape (even round!), which designers and architects never tire of using. This is a very flexible material from which you can create any whim.
6. Fire safety. Does not burn. If lightning suddenly strikes the house, or the owner falls asleep with a cigarette in his mouth, the furnishings may burn out - furniture, curtains - but the house itself will remain standing and the fire will not spread along the walls.
7. Noise insulation. No noisy neighbors, passing cars and the inability to play drums at three in the morning. It filters out excess noise well, so a garage made from it is an excellent place for a rock band to rehearse.

However, there are also disadvantages:

1. Small size. Construction using it is a troublesome and time-consuming task precisely because you need to manually place each brick in its proper place, coat the row with mortar and continue. No simple construction kits, like with 2 by 3 meter concrete blocks.
2. Cement. When working with brickwork, you will have to supply water to the area and mix the mortar. In winter it is difficult to do this - at low temperatures the solution will simply freeze.
3. Heavy weight. Brick, despite its size, weighs quite a lot and requires significant effort during transportation.
4. High price. You will have to fork out money (and for KAMAZ, which will deliver the material to the house).

Sides and methods of laying

Any brick is a parallelepiped with six faces:

1. The lower and upper edges on which it lies during the laying process are called the bed.
2. The narrow side edges are called butts.
3. The wide side edges are called spoons.

Moreover, all these names are in accordance with GOST.

Before talking about methods, you need to understand the basic terms:

1. Spoon masonry- in which the spoon is facing the outside of the wall.
2. Tychkovaya- similar, only the poke is turned towards the outside.
3. Verst– the top row of installation (it can be external or external, depending on the location relative to the facade).
4. Zabutka- part of the masonry laid out between the outer and outer versts.

The methods are as follows:

1. Press it in. The brick is picked up, tilted and a little mortar is scooped up with the edge, after which it is pressed against the brick that was laid before it and laid.
2. Back to back. A small amount of mortar is pressed against the laid brick with a trowel, a new brick is laid, pressing it against the trowel, and the trowel is removed. The brick itself is pressed against the row.

What is dressing and suture removal?

Multi-row:

Dressing- a way to hold brickwork together.

It can be single-row or double-row:

1. Single row, involves laying the butt and spoon rows alternately, with the bottom and top row necessarily laid with butts, and the components of the top row must overlap the vertical seams of the bottom row.
2. Multi-row, involves laying spoon rows alternating with tie rows every six rows. At the same time, the lowest row is bonded, the second is spooned, the next four are also spooned with a half-brick bandage (that is, the vertical seam of the bottom two bricks should be in the middle of the top brick), and the seventh is bonded, overlapping a quarter of a brick.

Grouting is a way to compact the mortar in the joints and at the same time give it shape. To do this, it is pressed until a distinct shape is formed - triangular, concave, convex, rectangular or rounded.

DIY styling

The solution is mixed manually or using electric tools.

Tools:

• metal container for mixing the solution;
• bucket for solution;
• shovel;
• trowel;
• cord;
• jointing;
• level;
• order;
• pick;
• plumb line;
• square;
• template for seam control;
• gloves;
• solution, you need to buy cement and mix it with sand in the proportion indicated on the package, add water, mix thoroughly, let it sit and mix again so that there is no hint of lumps;

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Examination. To begin with, the materials are laid out dry on the foundation to estimate how much will be needed and whether halves, quarters and thirds will be needed.
2. Laying. When laying the first row, you need to carefully check how smoothly the bricks lie, how evenly the mortar is used, and how even the corners are.
3. When the first row is completely laid, proceed to the rest. First, lay out the mortar, lay a brick on it (pressed or end-to-end), use a trowel to remove the excess mortar, and, without waiting for the mortar to dry, use jointing to do the jointing along the entire row.

Important:

1. There is no need to rush at first. Accuracy, leisurely and thoughtfulness. It is more important that the wall is level, otherwise what was done quickly will have to be redone.
2. Cement mortar is spread onto two bricks at a spoon verst and four at a tychkovaya verst.
3. The dressing should also be vertical– there should be no long vertical seams.
4. If additional wall decoration is planned– jointing is still needed, since it increases the strength of the masonry.

This is a labor-intensive and complex process, on which the strength of the entire structure completely depends. If the technology is violated, cracks may appear in a self-built structure or it may completely collapse. It is also important to maintain precision and accuracy in the process of laying the facing material, since it is the finishing coating and the face of the entire house.

You will need the following tools:

• container for mixing the solution and bucket;
• shovel;
• trowel (trowel);
• pickaxe hammer;
• cord (to determine the boundary);
• jointing;
• building level and plumb line;
• order;
• templates

Before you start laying bricks yourself, you need to properly prepare the foundation of the building. The surface on which walls or other structures will be erected must be thoroughly cleaned of debris and dirt. The building level checks the evenness, since if it has deviations, then the walls will also be inclined.

Before laying the plinth on a foundation or other structure, you need to cover it with a waterproofing layer. The upper part is covered with two layers of roofing felt. The second roll is rolled out on top of the first with an overlap of at least 10-15 cm. It is glued either using a special mixture or by heating. Waterproofing will protect against moisture that can move from the foundation.

The next stage is laying the first row without mortar. Walls look best if they are made only of solid blocks, without inserting sections (halves or quarters). They are first placed with a standard joint width of 10 mm. To make it the same everywhere, a metal template is used. If, after laying out, there is protruding or missing brick at the edge of the row, then you should either increase the width of the seam or reduce it (but not more than 2 mm for both cases). Since the maximum joint width according to building codes is 12 mm. If you still need to add the cut part, then you need to immediately decide on the location of its installation. If the masonry is made above the base, then it is possible for it to partially protrude above it, since the base will later be plastered.

After everything is laid out and the required width of the seams is determined, marks must be made on the foundation or plinth indicating the location of the vertical seams. You should start laying out the first row from the same material that was used for dry laying, as some of them may have an error in size.

Solution mixing technology

The most commonly used cement-sand composition. You should not make too much of the mixture, as it hardens within two to three hours. Before laying, solid red brick can be moistened with water, then it will not draw water out of the solution, and the seam will be more durable.

To prepare it yourself, you will need 1 part cement and 4 parts sand, as well as liquid dishwashing detergent. It will make it more flexible. Cement and sand are poured into a mixing container and mixed thoroughly. The mixture should become homogeneous and without lumps. Then water is added to it in such an amount that the consistency of the solution is similar to thick sour cream. At the same time, dishwashing liquid or liquid soap diluted in water is poured in.

Instructions, methods and diagrams

The most common laying methods are end-to-end and pressed. In the first case, the cement-sand mortar is not applied to the very edge on the outside of the brick, but an indent of 2-3 cm is left. Thanks to this, the mixture will not come out after pressing. When placing a spoon row, the technology is as follows: the block is held at an angle and the compound is raked with the butt part at a distance of 8-12 cm from the previously installed one. The laying pattern with the butt part is exactly the same.

A row is called a spoon row if the material is placed along the foundation, a bond row if it is placed across it. To lay bricks using the pressing method, a cement-sand mortar is applied to the surface in such an amount that it is possible to install 5 splices or 3 spoons. There is no need to place the mixture according to this scheme at a distance of 1-1.5 cm from the outer edge. Then the seam will be neat and beautiful after grouting.

Press method:

• The cement-sand mortar is applied and leveled with a trowel.
• Part of the mixture is raked with a trowel to the end of the already installed plain or facing brick.
• The next one is installed and pressed against the trowel.
• The trowel is pulled out and the block is moved in.
• Excess is removed.

Laying facing bricks or plain bricks should be started from the corners, as they will be used as guides. To do this, a cord is stretched between adjacent corners. It should be positioned horizontally. After this, a solution is applied to the surface of the foundation. Smooth out to a thickness of 2-2.5 cm, so that after laying it becomes 1.2 cm. You should not cover the entire area with the mixture at once, but only for two blocks placed using the spoon method, or four for a butt row.

To ensure that the seam is exactly this thick, a special metal template for the mortar is used; its diameter is 12 mm. Lay the template along the edge of the foundation from the outside. After the cement-sand mixture is smoothed, a brick is laid and lightly pressed down. The evenness of its installation is checked, and if it lies unevenly, then it is leveled by tapping with a pick-hammer.

The laid out rows must be checked for verticality; plumb lines are used for this. To control the horizontal level, ordering is used. The strip with marks is secured with staples. The distance between the divisions should be equal to the thickness of the block including the seam. For convenience, you can make holes in the order and pull the cord through them. With it it will be much easier to monitor the horizontal level of the brickwork.

Tutorial for ligation of sutures

In order for the wall to be strong and the load to be distributed evenly over it, it is necessary to ensure that the seams are bandaged. To do this, the next row is placed offset by half or one third from the brick. Adjacent rows (top or bottom) should not have the same vertical seams. To knit parallel rows, you need to start laying every 3-5 row using the butting method, not the spoon method. In this case, the seams should not coincide with the bottom row.

There are also many other dressing schemes with different masonry technologies and patterns. The most common are single-row and multi-row. The first category includes dressing systems such as Dutch, chain, and cross. They have the same instructions, the only difference is in the butt and spoon installation. For bonded rows, a whole brick is used, and for spoon rows, half is used. When laying in multiple rows, alternation occurs, for example, in a three-row laying, one splice is placed every 3 spoons.

Nuances of laying facing bricks

The main difference between a facing block and a regular block is its decorative characteristics. It is used as a finishing coat. Therefore, it is extremely important to immediately install it correctly and carefully. Just as for a regular one, it is necessary to lay the first row of facing material dry and determine the places where the segments will be located. For sawing, a grinder with a stone disc is used.

Management:

• One row is laid completely from one corner to the second.
• Then they begin to form the corners, laying 5-6 rows.
• To ensure that the seams are even and the cement-sand mixture does not fall on the building material, a metal template is used.
• Once the corners are formed, a cord is stretched between them so that the next rows are even.
• To ensure that the vertical seams are also even, use a metal template with a shorter length.
• Each subsequent row is placed offset so that the vertical seams do not coincide.
• If the mixture gets on the outer decorative side, it is removed immediately, since it is much more difficult to remove the solution after drying.
• For self-made brickwork to be durable, it must be connected to the main wall. For this purpose, metal connections are used, for example, spiral nails. There should be at least 4 of them per 1 m2. The nails are screwed into the main wall so that they are in the seams between the bricks.

Beginner mistakes

Due to non-compliance with construction requirements and rules, emergency situations often occur. Cracks appear in the walls, and in some places the building material begins to fall off completely. If installation is carried out without the use of templates, plumbs and building levels, then the likelihood that it will be uneven is extremely high. Finishing such a wall with a finishing coating will be difficult and require increased costs.

• Many novice builders lay brick without measuring the thickness of the joint, or do not use mortar at all for vertical joints. Walls laid according to this principle will poorly retain heat in the house, since the vertical seams will be blown through.
• Bricks cannot be laid at an angle. It should only lie horizontally. Inexperienced builders often do not monitor the location of vertical seams; as a result, they begin to coincide, and this leads to the fragility of the structure, which can cause it to collapse.
• Another common mistake is poorly filled seams. When applying mortar, builders do not calculate its rate or save too much. A house built with your own hands using this method will have reduced thermal insulation characteristics.
• When laying facing material, you need to carefully monitor its cleanliness, since the entire appearance of the house depends on neatness.

It is quite possible even for inexperienced builders to lay bricks with their own hands. If it is necessary to strengthen the structure, then use reinforced mesh. It is placed every 4-5 rows.