Practicing Bricklaying

[diy_darren]

With summer arriving I fancy having a go at building a BBQ with some bricks I have left over in the garden. I've not done it before so without doubt my initial efforts will be poor. How would you suggest I practice?

I was thinking of mixing sand and water to have a few attempts at laying the bricks. That way, when it dries I can take it down and have another practice until I think I am up for the real job. Only concern is that sand and water may not have a similar consistency to a real mortar mix?

 

[ColJack]

get yourself a "bricky".. it's supposed to make it idiot proof..

 

[diy_darren]

get yourself a "bricky".. it's supposed to make it idiot proof..

Looks good, but then doesn't everything they market in shopping channel style? Anyone claim to have used one of these? Any builders admit to using them?

 

[noseall]

Only concern is that sand and water may not have a similar consistency to a real mortar mix?

spot on. the wet sand will have no 'fat' whatsoever therefore will behave nothing like mortar, particularly mortar which has been machine mixed.

 

[Thermo]

lay them as normal. you can always take them up and scrape the mortar off. either that or get some cheap commons to practice with.

 

[^woody^]

For the first week of my apprenticeship, all we did 7 hours a day was to practice rolling the compo on the spot, picking it up, and then spreading it on a length of 4x3 timber propped up on two stacks of bricks at about knee height.

The next week, again all day, we laid 6 bricks in a row on this timber.

Perhaps not all day for 10 days, but I would do something similar to get your technique right

Then build a little stop end four course high, then build another at the other end of the timber, then run the bricks in the middle.

Using the timber set up off the ground, means you don't have to bend right down, and you get to see what you are doing better.

You should use lime mortar - 5:1, as you can reuse it. But keep it damp or the lime may go lumpy and you will then need to crush the lumps.