Reader's Digest

Front Cover of book

1,001 DIY Hints and Tips

Neil Thomson (Ed)

Published by
Reader's Digest in 2002

ISBN 0 276 42610 X

Weather-Struck Pointing
page 36

A rare example of using a Frenchman
page 37

A Frenchman is a normal butter-knife, with a bent-tip, used to trim away the excess mortar, and leave a clean straight line. The timber batten prevents the mortar dropping onto the rest of the work

Re-Pointing a Wall

Step 1 - page 37

Use a plugging chisel and rake out the old mortar to a depth of about 12mm

Remove debris and
dampen the wall

page 37

Load mortar onto board, with the trowel. Push mortar into joints, filling vertical ones first

page 37

Finish joint with pointing trowel or special pointing tool

page 37

Carefully clean the brickwork with a soft dry brush

page 236

Bed of Sand

Sand makes a good shock absorber, when cutting bricks

It can prevent them from shattering and you are more likely to get clean cuts

page 236

Using a Gauge Rod

This is a hand-made guide, with the courses marked at exactly 75mm. The top of each brick should be on the mark

It ensures that the height of each course is correct

A tape-measure is better

page 236

Copings

Brick garden walls need a roof, called a coping,
to keep the rain out

The concrete is tapped down with the wooden handle, which is less likely to cause damage than the metal head

page 236

Mesh for Reinforcement

Pierced concrete blocks need Ex-Met on every 2nd course. It should also be tied into the pillars

Without reinforcement, the wall is liable to collapse

page 236

Mixing Mortar

Rest each on a brick so the weight of the mix causes the board to sag in the middle.

This ensures that water doesn't spill over the edges

Building a Wall

Although these instructions are a bit vague,
they provide an quick introduction

page 237

Lay mortar on the footings
Bed first brick into place, tamp down and check that it is level

page 237

Spread mortar on end of next brick and butt this up against first brick.

Lay more bricks to finish course

page 237

Lay following courses with vertical joints staggered by half a brick length

Trim off any excess mortar

page 237

As wall rises, use a spirit level to check that the face and ends are truly plumb

Then finish all joints neatly