How to Make a Cinder Block Wall
Cinder-block walls are useful for landscaping a back yard, preventing erosion, building a patio or creating more flat space in your garden. Building a wall out of inexpensive cinder (concrete) blocks requires good preparation and a few days of hard work. If installed correctly, the wall will require little maintenance and will last for many years. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Cinder blocks
- Mortar
- Trowel
- 3/4-inch PCV pipe
- Hacksaw (for pipe)
- Gravel or small stones
- Cement mix
Instructions
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Building a Cinder Block Wall
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1
Check your city's building code before you begin. Walls of a certain height (usually higher than three feet) might need a permit. Alsom call 811 for the location of any underground power or water lines that might be in the way of your excavation.
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2
Dig away to remove any sloping ground in the area of your wall. Dig a foundation trench about one foot deep and twice the width of your cinder blocks.
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3
Place iron reinforcement rods (known as rebar) in place vertically to the height of the wall, and positioned toward the back of the wall. The wall will be set with the rebar guided through the gaps (or cells) built into the blocks. The rebar should have a short horizontal end, which should be pointing away from the hill or slope, if any, you are reinforcing the wall against.
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4
Pour the mixed concrete into your foundation. Keep the rebar in place and vertical with a length of wood set along the base of the rods. For drainage, set up lengths of 3/4-inch PVC pipe at the base of your wall, separated by two or three feet, between the cinder blocks along the first row. The mouths of the pipes should be flush with the wall.
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5
Set up vertical corner poles, wooden or steel posts positioned at the corners of the wall. Stretch a string or mason's line between the poles at the height of eight inches. Set the bottom row of blocks in position without mortaring them. Leave a 3/8-inch gap between the blocks (use precut wooden studs, 3/8-inch wide, to separate the blocks). Make sure this "dry run" is absolutely horizontal by using a carpenter's level on top of the blocks and with a visual exam of the mason's line.
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6
Spread a one-inch deep bed of mortar on the foundation where the edges of the blocks will rest. Lay the mortar evenly by setting it on the trowel, then turning and moving the trowel along the foundation--a motion that allows the mortar to slide off by itself. You don't need to set any mortar where the gaps or cells in the blocks will be. Make sure to leave a gap for the rebar.
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7
Set the first corner blocks, and press down on the mortar for a 3/8-inch-deep horizontal joint at ground level. Use the carpenter's level to ensure the block is set correctly. On the sides where the blocks will join, lay an even bead of mortar about 3/8-inch thick, and press the blocks firmly together. Set the corner sections first, with several rows of blocks. Higher rows will be set with fewer blocks, so triangular corner sections are created. Then fill in the rows. Check each row of blocks with the level.
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Tips & Warnings
Stagger the rows so blocks on a higher row are offset from the ones below.
Clear away any mortar that falls on the ground or on the face of the blocks.
Use the horizontal mason's line, tied between the corner posts, to ensure the face of the wall is vertical.
