Wythe Walls

      

BUILDING A 1-WYTHE WALL:
For accurate placement and alignment, bricks are laid in a stepped-back arrangement, first building up the ends and then working toward the middle. Mortar joints usually are offset from one course to the next.

The first course-
Starting at one end, throw about a 1-inch-thick bed of mortar that is long enough to seat two or three bricks and is the width of one brick. Use the tip of the trowel to furrow the mortar out, spreading it evenly along the footing.

The thickness at the thickest parts should be about 3/4- to 1-inch. Lay a level on the top of the brick and tap the brick down until it is level in all directions. The final mortar joint between the brick and the footing should be about 1/2-inch thick. Then proceed to the opposite end of the course and repeat a second brick in the same manner.

Run a mason's line between the two bricks. Place a string level on the line and adjust the bricks until they are level with each other. You may have to add or subtract mortar to reach level. Or, if almost level, you can make adjustments in the following brick courses.

Fill toward the middle-
To add more bricks to the first course, butter the end of a brick, Hold the brick in one hand, and the trowel in the other, With a flip of the wrist, turn the trowel over, dump the mortar on the brick end and press the mortar firmly in place with the trowel.

Put the brick down on the mortar bed, about 1-1/2 to 2 inches away from the end brick. Gently push the second brick down into the mortar and against the end brick until the joints below and to the sides are about 1/2-inch thick. Align the top front edge of the brick with the string guide, but don't let the brick touch the string. With the edge of the trowel, remove the excess mortar that has been squeezed out during placement and toss it back into the mortar box or hawk-or position it for the next brick. In this fashion, lay about 6 bricks from each end of the course toward the middle of the run.

The second course-
To create staggered mortar joints in consecutive courses, the end bricks for the second course must be half bricks.

Lay the two end bricks, run the mason's line between them and fill in on each side until you can add no more bricks without overhanging the bricks laid in the first course. Subsequent courses will begin alternately with full stretchers or half bricks.

Complete from three to five courses to build the leads before you begin to fill in the center sections. Use a story pole to maintain the right size mortar joints. Use a level to ensure straight and plumb sides and corners. Plumb is vertical level.

The top courses-
Continue to build up the leads and to fill in until you reach the course below the final course. The top course may be the same as those below, or you can embed a flashing layer in the mortar, or finish off the top with prefabricated capping. Some lay a final coating of mortar across the top course. This thin layer should be smooth with rounded edges. It will help protect the mortar joints.

Leads with corners-
Fill in the ends of one side of a multi-sided project just as you would for a free-standing lead. Then move to the adjacent side. Throw a mortar line along the footing next to the first stretcher placed. Butter the end of a brick and position the brick so that the end butts against the side of the stretcher. Put a brick at the opposite end of the course, run a mason's line, and fill in 5 or 6 bricks on each side as above. Do the same for all the connecting sides.

The second course-
Start the second course at a side of a lead that includes both a header and a stretcher. Place the stretcher so it overlaps the top and creates a flush corner edge.

At the other end of this course, place a header or stretcher as needed to ensure that the joints in the two courses are not aligned. If there is not an adjoining wall at this end, use a cut brick instead of a header. Then fill in bricks at each side to continue building the stepped-back leads.

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