Do-it-Yourself Brick Mortar

Mortar is the lighter colored material threaded in and around the bricks.

Mortar is used to bind bricks together in construction. A thick material with a paste-like consistency, mortar is similar in composition to concrete but without the added gravel. Mixing mortar is much like mixing concrete in that both are best used within a few hours of mixing or they will lose adhesive qualities and begin to harden in the bucket. All the dry compounds needed to make brick mortar are available at any home improvement, landscape or hardware store.

Things You'll Need

• 5-gallon bucket
• Dry cement mix
• Shovel
• Concrete sand
• Masonry lime
• Scrap wood or garden hoe
• 1-gallon bucket
• Trowel
• Bricks
• Face mask
• Safety goggles

Instructions

1. Fill a 5-gallon bucket with 1 shovel of dry cement mix and 2 shovels of concrete sand. Add half a shovel of masonry lime and mix the dry contents thoroughly in the bucket with a scrap of wood or garden hoe.

2. Dig an indentation in the mix and add 1 gallon of water to the bucket. Stir the material until it is the consistency of cooked oatmeal. Add more water in small amounts as needed to reach this consistency. Stir it thoroughly to moisten all dry ingredients.

3. Test the consistency of the mortar by filling a trowel with some of the bucket's contents. Turn the trowel over slowly so the material can drop off. If the mortar holds to the trowel, the consistency is suitable. Add more mix or more water as needed to reach this thickness.

4. Spread a 1/2-inch layer of the mortar on the large face of one brick and press a second brick against the first. If the mortar squeezes out easily and there is little resistance from the thick material when pushing the bricks together, make the mortar thicker.

Tips & Warnings

• Double the proportions of the dry compounds and the amount of water needed in order to make more of the mortar for a project.

• Wear a face mask and safety goggles while working with the dry materials.

References

• "Brick Projects for the Landscape"; Alan Bridgewater; 2004
• "Black & Decker: The Complete Guide to Masonry & Stonework"; Editors of Creative Publishing; 2010