How to Install a Garden Brick Wall

Build a small brick garden wall.

A brick wall is a functional addition to a garden. The ancient building material is durable, versatile and withstands natural elements, thus serving as a long-term investment. Bricks come in a variety of shapes and sizes, allowing homeowners to select the type that meets their preferences and blends with the exterior of their house. Although building taller brick walls requires skill and expertise, installing a short, two-brick thick wall is a straightforward procedure.

Things You'll Need

• Powdered chalk
• Stakes
• Shovel
• Cement
• Plastic tub
• Sand
• Water
• Trowel
• Mortar

Instructions

Install Foundation

1. Spread two parallel rows of powdered chalk over the ground to demarcate the outline or perimeter of the brick wall. Space both lines slightly wider than the width of two bricks placed horizontally together. Insert stakes into the ground at the corners of the chalk lines to mimic the desired height of the wall.

2. Dig a 15-inch-deep trench between the chalk lines. Tamp the base of the excavation with the back of the shovel to make it level.

3. Mix water with cement and sand to a workable consistency of concrete in a plastic tub. Add the concrete into the excavation till it is just below the soil line and level its top. Leave it to cure for two to three days.

Install Bricks

1. Dry fit a row or course of bricks over the cured footing before mortar to determine how it looks. Use two horizontal bricks along the row. Brick is laid in many different ways but the traditional method of staggering rows is aesthetically pleasing and forms a sturdy wall. Remove the bricks and keep them aside.

2. Mix mortar and water in a plastic tub until the mortar holds its shape easily when sliced with a trowel.

3. Scoop some mortar in a trowel and apply an even layer to the back and side of a brick. Lower this brick at one end of the footing and press it lightly to establish good contact. Apply mortar over the base, two sides and front of a brick and place it 1/4-inch behind the first row.

4. Spread mortar over the base and sides of another brick and place it adjacent to the first brick but 1/4-inch away. Lay bricks this way until the other end of the footing so you form the first row of two parallel bricks.

5. Stagger the bricks in the second row by placing them over the joints of the two below. Apply mortar to the base and side of each brick and continue laying it over the previous row until you reach the end.

6. Scrape off mortar from the front and back of the brick wall and leave it to cure. Remove the stakes from the corners.

Tips & Warnings

• Most local codes allow homeowners to create walls up to 3 feet tall without permits. However check your local codes prior to installing the wall.

• Make sure the site you want to install the wall over has well-draining soil.

• Break a brick to size by placing the tip of a chisel over the spot and pounding it with a sledgehammer until it splits into two.

• Use a carpenter's level to make sure the corners are plumb and rows are level.

References

• Garden Advice: Build a Small Retaining Wall
• Cemix: Build a Retaining Wall
• Green Fingers: How to Make a Simple Wall
• Quikrete: Basic Brick Construction