A Practical Guide to Laying Walling

Laying a Wall with Madoc or Wetherdale

When building a wall rather than a feature planter or barbecue, start by building up the ends of the wall over the level foundations to approximately three to four courses.

For a retaining wall higher than 2 feet or for any wall over 3 feet, it is recommended to seek expert advice as to its structure even if you are going to build it yourself. This information must include the depth and width of foundation. For the foundations, a general rule is that the depth is equivalent to between 1/4 & 1/3 of the wall's height; the foundation width should be two or three times the wall's width.

If building on an existing concrete base or patio, start construction at stage 4.

1) Strip topsoil, dig to firm ground and measure out area.

2) Lay level concrete foundations using 6 parts all-in ballast*: 1 part cement.

3) Stretch a building line between the ends and build one course at a time, checking for accuracy vertically, diagonally and horizontally using a level.

4) Using a trowel, spread mortar (3-4 parts building sand* : 1 part cement) evenly over the foundations and then over the blocks in each course as you lay them. (The mortar should just exude from between the joints and any surplus is cut off with the trowel.) Don't forget to fill the vertical joints as you go, by applying mortar to one end of the block before positioning it adjacent to the previously laid block. The blocks should be laid in stretcher bond - you will need to cut some blocks, but this is simple to do using a club hammer.

5. Only build between 6 and 8 courses at a time, allowing the mortar to set before starting to build again.

6 Finally, use a pointing trowel to smooth and finish the mortar joints.