Masonry is the backbone of civil engineering, and it’s a skill that you can use to create many different structures. It doesn’t require too much machinery or complicated materials, either. All you need to build a nice masonry wall is some concrete blocks and a little bit of knowledge. You can even do the project yourself if there are no heavy parts involved (like installing large pavers). Follow these steps carefully to become an expert in this field:
Mark out the area where you want to build the wall.
The first step to building your wall is marking out the area where you want to build the wall.
- Use string as a guide and measure out the space. Make sure that it’s big enough to fit your pavers and enough room for them to be laid out in an even pattern.
- Once you have measured your space, mark it with stakes at each corner of the area so that you know exactly where all four corners are located and how they should align with one another.
- Make sure that there isn’t any major utilities or landscaping features near where you want to build your wall because this can cause construction issues later on if not taken care of beforehand (and may require more work than simply moving one or two plants).
Calculate how many concrete blocks and pavers you will require to complete your wall.
Calculate the number of concrete blocks and pavers you will require to complete your wall.
- Calculate the number of joints required by dividing the length of your wall by 144 inches (342 cm). For example, if you want to build a 6-foot (1.8 m) long wall, then divide 6 feet by 144 inches for 4 joints per block. In this case, each block will require 4 joints for every 6-foot section.
- Calculate how many blocks per row by dividing the total length of your wall by how many blocks wide it is (this includes any mortar between them). For example, if you have a 12-inch wide walkway that’s 40 feet long and there are 4 rows across it, then each row is 20 feet long because 40 divided by 20 = 2 which means 1 full pass over all four rows would be 2 passes which equals 1 pass per row or one pass over two rows (2×1=2). So now we know that our final answer needs to be multiplied by two so instead of needing 15 concrete pavers per row we only need 10 because they’re spaced twice as far apart as our original calculation showed us earlier in step 1 above! This means we can just multiply 15 x 2 = 30 If you’re wondering why we didn’t just divide 40 feet into 20 inch sections instead—it’s because that would give us very oddly shaped pieces where some would be longer than others! This may not seem important now but trust me when I say having uniform size pieces makes everything easier later down the road; especially when putting up walls like these things take forever so anything that speeds up building time without sacrificing overall quality should definitely be taken into consideration before starting anything else. Now let’s move on…
Dig a trench where you plan to lay the foundation for your wall with a shovel or power auger (a machine used for drilling holes in the ground).
- Use a shovel or power auger to dig a trench where you plan to lay the foundation for your wall.
- Dig the trench deep enough that it will be covered by at least 1 inch (2.5 centimetres) of gravel, sand and cement mortar mix.
- Measure the width of your pavers, then measure the length of your planned wall and add an extra 2 inches (5 centimetres). This will allow space between each paver so they’re not too close together or far apart. The total number of square feet in this measurement is how many square feet per sheet you’ll need; divide that number by 144 to find out how many sheets you need for your project.
- Mark each sheet with measurements so it’s easy to keep track as you work on building your new masonry feature
Dig another shallow trench around the perimeter of the first trench, at least 2 inches deep.
Dig another shallow trench around the perimeter of the first trench, at least 2 inches deep.
If you’re installing pavers in a bed that’s already been established, your trenches should be wide enough to accommodate them. If this is not possible due to constraints such as existing trees or shrubs, you may need to install thicker pavers than you originally intended. If you have extra leftover space after measuring your pavers’ dimensions, fill it with crushed stone before laying them down.
A good rule of thumb is that any trench should be at least 2 inches deep and wide enough for easy access when removing or repairing any damaged pavers that may occur over time (e.g., if someone drives over one). Additionally, it should be at least 2 inches away from the edge of the wall so that water doesn’t pool inside it during rainstorms; otherwise—you guessed it—there’ll be some more digging involved later on down the line (and possibly even more cost).
Pour sand into the shallow trench until it is level with the ground.
Now you will add sand to the trench. This is a great way to ensure that your concrete does not sink or crack when it sets, as sand will help avoid this.
To do this, place a layer of sand into the trench until it is level with the ground.
Lay a row of concrete across the bottom of your trench, starting from one corner and working along in a straight line.
- Lay a row of concrete across the bottom of your trench, starting from one corner and working along in a straight line.
- Use only concrete blocks that are level and in good condition. If they’re not, you won’t be able to make them fit properly with this method.
- Do not use cracked or damaged concrete blocks; they won’t hold up against the pressure exerted by the wall as it’s built up around them.
Lay another row of concrete blocks on top of your foundation row, staggering the joints so that no two are positioned directly above each other. This will make your wall strong.
Now, lay another row of concrete blocks on top of your foundation row, staggering the joints so that no two are positioned directly above each other. This will make your wall strong. Use a trowel to fill any gaps between concrete blocks with mortar mix and use a small brush to clean up any excess mortar that might be visible after filling each gap.
Continue laying rows of concrete blocks until you have built a full layer up to 1 foot high, if you want your wall to be quite tall. If not, continue this process for only 6 inches and then move on to step 10 below. Use a trowel to fill any gaps between concrete blocks with mortar mix (a combination of cement, sand, water and sometimes lime). Use a small brush to clean up any excess mortar that might be visible after filling each gap. Allow mortar mix to dry before moving on to step 10 below.
- Continue laying rows of concrete blocks until you have built a full layer up to 1 foot high, if you want your wall to be quite tall. If not, continue this process for only 6 inches and then move on to step 10 below.
- Use a trowel to fill any gaps between concrete blocks with mortar mix (a combination of cement, sand, water and sometimes lime). Use a small brush to clean up any excess mortar that might be visible after filling each gap. Allow mortar mix to dry.
Conclusion
We hope this guide has been helpful in teaching you how to build a wall with pavers.
