Bricklaying for the Do-It-Yourselfer

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The wall ties have predrilled holes in them. Using 1" - Long roofing nails, secure the ties to the wall so that the center of the tie is about a 1/2" below the snapped chalk lines. Stagger the rows of ties so that each course is not directly over the course below.

If the veneer wall is going to be placed in front of a masonry wall that was built before the brick veneer, the mason who originally built the masonry wall would have placed the wall ties in between the courses of backup masonry every 16" both horizontally and vertically as illustrated below. The ties should stick out about 4" and should be bent down for safety reasons.

Necessary Tools for Bricklaying:

 Bricklaying trowe— Wide Heel London, 9 1/2" long with plastic handle — cost: about $32 Pointing trowel — 5" long and 2 1/2" wide, wood handle with a ferrule — cost: about $9

6' mason's modular spacing rule— cost: about $17

 Tempered convex— shaped 5/8" x 3/4 jointer — cost about $8

 4"-wide brick set— cost: about $9.50

 24-ounce brick hammer — cost: about $16 to $45, depending upon whether it has a wooden or unbreakable handle

Mason's braided nylon line — cost: $7 to $20, depending upon the length you purchase

Items used to secure a mason 's line— two line blocks, two tapered line pins, and two line twigs-cost: less than $10 for all. Some masonry supply yards may just give you these items.

 All-purpose masonry brush — cost: about $7

Combination wire brush and scraper— cost: about $5

 One 2' and one 41 level — cost: $55 for a two-footer and $75 or more for a four-footer. I would recommend shopping around. For masonry work, it is best to stay away from aluminum levels and use some form of wooden level. They hold up better and are easier to maintain and keep clean.

The above 11 items represent the basic tool needs for bricklaying. Professionals use a few more but for now the basics will do just fine (our ideal list is shown as illustrations at the bottom of these pages). Once the tool set is complete, you'll need a few pieces of equipment to finish the list. As with the tools indicated above, the equipment can be used for all categories of masonry.

Wheelbarrow — cost: anywhere from $5 at a yard sale to $50 in stores. You will use this to transport mortar and other materials to your job site and to make mortar in the barrow.

 Mortar pans ormortarboards — cost: about $35 for pans and $23 for boards. The pans are about 30" square and about 7" deep and are made from either plastic or steel. The boards are also about 30" square and flat and are made from fiberglass or polyethylene.

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