If you enjoy spending time in your yard, a brick seating wall is a great way to enhance your outdoor living area. It’s also an excellent way to create a barrier between your house and other areas of your property. A seating wall is pretty easy to build, too. Get the tools and materials together first, then follow the steps below to make sure you get the best results.
What You’ll Need
Before you begin, you’ll need to gather a few materials. In addition to the bricks, you will also need:
- Mortar: The mortar is used for adhering the brick together and filling any gaps between them. You will want a medium-sized bag of mortar mix and a trowel.
- Water: For mixing your mortar with enough water so that it becomes workable but not soupy or runny; you’ll want around six quarts (6L) of water per batch of mortar mix. You can use tap water if it’s clean enough for drinking; otherwise, use bottled spring water or filtered tap water instead.
- Broom: For sweeping up any dust or debris that gets kicked up during the brick laying process; these bits will fall into the space between each brick and create gaps if they’re not removed regularly while they are still wet with fresh mortar residue clinging to them
Step 1 – Frame the Area
The first step to building a brick seating wall is to frame the area where it will be installed. The size of the bricks should fit snugly between your framed walls, so make sure you measure before making any cuts. The bricks can be laid in almost any pattern you desire, but we recommend laying them on their side so that they’re easier to handle. Once laid out, check that all of your bricks are level with each other by running a carpenter’s level over them as needed (you may need someone else’s help doing this). This will ensure an even surface when it comes time for grouting.
Step 2 – Lay the Stones
- Lay the stones in the same direction as you want them to be installed, using a level to make sure they’re straight.
- Spread mortar with a trowel, then set one brick into it (or two if you’re working with a long row) and tap it down with your hammer until it sits flush. Repeat this process for each stone around the perimeter of your seating area, until all of your bricks are laid and seated securely.
- Use a brick saw to cut any extra bits of mortar that remain after installing each stone—you’ll want to leave at least an inch between them so they don’t chip or crack when they come into contact with other pieces during installation.
Step 3 – Position the Stones
- Position the stones on your ground plan, making sure they are level and straight.
- Space the stones evenly. If you have a knack for measuring things well and can eyeball it, then you’re set! If not, it’s best to use a tape measurer (or yardstick) to make sure that each stone is spaced exactly where it should be.
- Make sure there is room between each stone for mortar. The mortar will help hold the brick together while they dry and strengthen your seating wall as a whole! You may also want to leave some extra room so that if any of your bricks need replacing down the road, it won’t be difficult or time-consuming to do so (depending on what kind of pattern you’ve chosen).
Step 4 – Spread the Mortar
With the brick layout in place, you’re now ready to start laying bricks and creating your wall. The first step is to spread a layer of mortar over the entire area where you’ll be placing your bricks and then start laying them on top.
To do this, use a trowel to spread the mortar over your base course (the first course of bricks). Then lay each brick into its position until all have been placed in their designated spaces. When placing each brick, use pressure from your trowel to seat it firmly into place before spreading more mortar across its face if needed. If any gaps remain between the bricks after they’ve been laid down, fill them with small pieces of leftover mortar mix and press these pieces firmly into place using your trowel or another tool like a flat piece of wood or metal.
Step 5 – Fill in the Gaps
- Fill the gaps between bricks with mortar. If necessary, use a trowel to smooth out any excess mortar.
- Use a level to ensure that all of your bricks are level and straight.
- Use a putty knife or other flat object (such as an old credit card) to fill in gaps between bricks and remove excess mortar from the surface of each brick.
- Clean up any remaining mortar off the surface of your brick wall with wet sponges or rags dipped in water until there’s no more residue left on it.
Step 6 – Point the Seats
Fill in the joints with a thin layer of mortar and use a pointing trowel to spread it evenly. Try to keep the mortar from sticking to your hands, as this will make it harder to clean up later. When you are done filling all of the joints, wait 20 minutes so that the mortar can set up slightly before finishing off by applying a second thin layer of mortar over top of your first one.
Letting loose is fun, but getting everything level is important! Make sure that when you go back over everything with your pointing tool (or trowel), that everything is still flush with each other and even on top.
Build your own brick seating area to have a great place to sit outside and enjoy yourself or entertain guests.
Building a brick seating wall is an easy project that you can do yourself. It’s perfect for the backyard or patio, but also works well inside. A brick seating area can be used for entertaining guests or just relaxing on a hot summer day. It’s great to have your own private spot to sit and enjoy yourself.
To build your own brick seating area:
- Use a level to make sure all of the bricks are straight and level with each other.
- Drill holes into each end of each piece of redwood lumber (the horizontal pieces). These holes should be right above where each piece meets another piece of redwood lumber. If the width between them is less than 6 inches, then drill smaller holes so that they don’t come too close together–it’s better if there are some small gaps in between these pieces!
- Tap all four sides with a hammer until all four sides are flush against one another; this will keep water from getting underneath them where termites hide out during winter months.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, brick seating walls are one of the easiest things you can build and they have a lot of uses. Even if you decide to put your seats somewhere else in the future, you can always use a wall as decoration or as flowerbed retaining walls. If you want to create something to sit on outside, then this is the perfect project for you.
