How to Fix a Cracked Brick Retaining Wall

Cracks in a brick retaining wall can be caused from a settling into the ground. Any slight shift or sinking may cause the weight of surrounding bricks to bring heavy pressure onto other bricks, causing cracks to form. In many cases, cracking bricks will be accompanied by mortar joints chipping and/or cracking. Simply replace the damaged bricks when this happens in your brick retaining wall.

Things You'll Need

• Eye protection
• Leather work gloves
• Cold chisel
• Hammer
• Masonry brush
• Portland cement
• Masonry sand
• Bucket
• Trowel
• Hose
• Bonding agent
• Bricks

Instructions

1. Put on eye protection and leather work gloves. Hold a cold chisel at a 90 degree angle against the mortar joint abutting one of the cracked bricks.

2. Strike the chisel firmly with a hammer, chipping away the mortar joint. Chisel out all the mortar around the cracked brick until the brick comes loose from the retaining wall. Pull the brick out by hand.

3. Continue to chisel away mortar joints around any other damaged bricks, freeing the other cracked bricks from the retaining wall.

4. Chisel the openings in the brick retaining wall as smooth as possible using the cold chisel and hammer. Brush away any dust or debris with a masonry brush.

5. Mix one part Portland cement and three parts of masonry sand with a trowel. Wet the contents with a hose but do not soak the dry ingredients -- they should be of a mud-like consistency.

6. Squirt concrete bonding agent into one empty space in the retaining wall, then immediately scoop out some wet concrete mortar with the trowel and spread into the bottom of the space. Set a replacement brick into the wet concrete mortar, then fill in the gaps on either side with more mortar using the trowel.

7. Cover the other empty spaces in the wall with concrete bonding agent, then fill in those spaces with mortar and replacement bricks until no empty spaces remain in the retaining wall. Allow the mortar to dry for 24 hours.

References

• "Ultimate Guide to Home Repair & Improvement"; Creative Homeowner Press; 2006
• "Black & Decker: The Complete Guide to Masonry & Stonework"; Editors of Creative Publishing; 2010