Preparing the Bricks

      

THE DRY RUN WITH BRICKS:
Lay out the project without mortar so you can determine the best brick arrangement. First, use a nail to mark the concrete footing to indicate the ends of the wall or the corners of the job. You also can use batter boards to determine location.

Between the corner marks, lay as many full bricks as possible, end-to-end or in the pattern you want. Use thin wooden strips as spacers to allow for the size of mortar joints. Note the size of the closure brick. If possible, move the wall ends or corners out so that the closure brick will be a full unit and there won't be any cutting necessary.

After dry-laying the bricks to determine positioning, snap a chalkline between the two starting points. You may prefer to place a straightedge along this line and to score the footing slightly with a nail or the edge of a trowel. Water can dissolve the chalk line mark.

Prepare the bricks-
Bricks absorb moisture quickly Unless the units are wetted before they are laid, the bricks will suck the moisture out of the mortar. You need to wet the brick with water before starting to lay them. Do not soak the bricks.

Use this simple test to determine whether the bricks are wet enough:
Select a brick face that will be mortared. In a 1-inch diameter circle on the face, place several drops of water. If the mixture disappears in less than 1 minute, sprinkle all the bricks while you mix the mortar. By the time the mortar is mixed, the bricks should be wet enough to be laid.

THROWING THE MORTAR:
To "throw" the mortar, grip the trowel firmly, but do not squeeze it. Pick up some mortar from the hawk or wheelbarrow and throw it back on/in as follows:

1. Pick up the mortar, using a slicing motion with one side of the trowel.
2. Position the trowel where you want to place the mortar.
3. Turn the trowel sideways 90-degrees so the e blade is straight up and down.
4. At the same time, give a slightly downward flip of the trowel.

When the mortar is thrown or flung in this manner, the mortar adheres well to the surface and settles down in any depression. The flipping motion pulls the trowel toward you so the mortar is flung down in a line rather than in a single lump. The correct motion will cover the tops of one to two bricks.

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