How to Build a Cinder Block Wall
Cinder blocks are some of the easiest and cheapest materials available for building a solid wall. However, as in any many construction projects, whether it's indoor remodeling or outdoor building, you'll want to seek professional guidance. Once you've got your space, your approved plan and your materials, you'll be ready to lay the first block of your wall. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Mark off the area of your planned wall with chalk or string and stakes. Use a yardstick or measuring tape.
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Buy your materials. Based on your wall's proposed dimensions, obtain the required number of cinder blocks and an appropriate amount of mortar from your local supply store. While there, ask for advice specific to the needs of your building project.
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Mix up your cement mortar until its consistency becomes comparable to oatmeal. Mix in a wheelbarrow with a hoe, shovel or trowel.
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Pour your concrete footing if no concrete footing is present already. Dig the area of your wall down to a few inches below the frost line, compact a few inches of gravel and pour a few more inches of concrete so that the footing rises a few inches above the ground surface. Level with a trowel and allow to dry.
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Apply mortar to both sides of the poured concrete footer's top surface with a trowel. Begin at one of the wall's corners.
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Place your first cinder block on the mortar you have just smeared, level with the corner of your wall and with holes facing up.
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Smear your next cinder block with mortar on one end and place it snug next to the first block and on top of your mortar-smeared footing. Tap into place and use a level to ensure your wall is being built at the proper angle.
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Continue smearing mortar along the sides of the concrete footer's top surface and placing cinder blocks next to each other until you have completed the bottom level of your wall.
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Smear the top of your first level of wall with mortar and place your spacers. Press the spacers firmly into the mortar on each side of each cinder block (in the center of each block). These will ensure that your wall is level and serve as a reference for placing your next set of blocks.
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Place the next level of cinder blocks on top of your mortar and spacers, smearing more mortar between each and situating each block halfway between the bottom level's blocks.
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Place subsequent layers as described in the previous step until your wall has reached the desired height. Scrape off excess mortar with your trowel. Allow 48 hours to dry.
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Tips & Warnings
Check with your local government to see whether a building permit is necessary for your wall. This is likely to be the case if your wall is higher than 3 feet.
If you are not a professional in construction, consult customer service representatives at your local home supplies store. They can give you valuable advice. For example, if you are building a large wall, they will know whether you may need to fill your wall with gravel or mortar, include rebar in the concrete footing, or add rebar to the wall itself. Also, if you are building your wall for retaining purposes, you'll need to add a drainage system.
References
Resources
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