• For old bricks (which are 8 1/4 of an inch.

1/4
inch longer than new bricks) make marks every
22.5 centimeters on the foundation. Pour out 4
feet of mortar and put a bunch of bricks down.
Use a long 2 by 4 and a hammer the 2 by 4 to
align the first course.

• Some bricks are drier than others, so check the

joints after about five courses. If they are getting
dry, then strike the joints with a tool designed for
the purpose called a "jointer". It's a good idea to
thoroughly wet your bricks in advance to ensure
minimum absorption of water in the mortar, thus
allowing the mortar to cure properly over time.
The brick should be wet throughout but not
dripping, or they will soften and weaken the
mortar. It is not advisable to just spray the brick
quickly, as it will not bond correctly with mortar.
• For new bricks which are 8 inch long, make marks
on the foundation every 22 centimeters. Pour out
4 feet of mortar and put a bunch of bricks down.
Use a long 2 by 4 and hammer the 2 by 4 to align
the first course.
Things You'll Need

D Concrete mixer

0 Mortar mix

D Trowel

0 Hammer

D Small torpedo level

0 4 foot level

0 Line

D Water

0 Jointer

D Brush

D Tape measure

0 Nails

D Wall ties

0 Bricks
D Wheelbarrow

D Shovel

0 Safety gear

D Gloves
How to Render a Wall

If you want to change the look and texture of a wall

but don't want to paint it, you can render it instead.
Wall rendering is the process of adhering a mixture of
wet cement and sand to a wall with a trowel.
Rendering gives the wall a solid cement look and can
be used to cover up the existing wall material. If you
follow the right procedures and use the right
materials, you can render a wall yourself.
Method 1 of 3:
Preparing the Wall

1 Chip away any old render and paint. Use a

cold chisel that is just sharp enough to scrape,
chip away any bumps, dripping render, paint, or
mortar that's stuck to the wall. Sometimes the old
render may flake off and you'll want to scrape it all
away before applying the new render. Continue to
chip away at the wall until the stone or brickwork is
free of bumps.[11
2 Scrub down the wall with a stiff bristled
broom. Work the broo m over the surface of
the wall, making sure to displace any dirt or debris
that may be on it. Work away any organic material,
like mos s or mold, that may be grow ing on the
wall. Continue to work the broo m back and forth
against the wall until it's clean.[21You can also add
some soap to help break up the material.
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3 Spray the wall down with a hose. Use a

garden hose and spray down the surface of
your wall. This will prevent the water in your
rendering mortar from drying out. This is especially
important when rendering highly porous materials
like sandstoneJ3l
4 Lay down drop cloths around the wall. Drop
cloths will prevent dripping render from falling
and hardening onto the ground near the wall. Tape
the drop cloths to the ground with tape so that it
doesn't move around as you work. Laying down
drop cloths will prevent you from having to chip
away dripping render later. [4]

• If you don't have drop cloths you can use

tarps, cardboard, or garbage bags.
Method 2 of 3:
Mixing the Render Mortar

- -
-

Purchase the render mortar. You can

1 purchase render mortar online or at a
hardware store. Select a render mortar with a color
that you want to apply to the wall. The instructions
on the back of the packaging will tell you exactly
how much water you should mix with the water_ [s]
 • Render colors include gray, off-white, green,
blue, and yellow. You can also customize your
render by mixing the colors.

2 Pour water into a bucket or wheelbarrow.

Pour the appropriate amount of water into a
bucket or wheelbarrow. For 20kg (44 lbs) of render
mortar, you'll typically need somewhere around 8
liters (2 gallons) of water.l61
3 Pour the mortar into the bucket and mix it
together. Put the bucket or wheelbarrow on a
flat surface before carefully pouring the render
mortar into the water. Use a hoe or shovel to mix
the render mortar and water together at first, and
then switch to a paddle mixer attached to a power
drill. Continue to mix until the render is lump-free
and stiff enough to stick to a trowel. When the
render is completely mixed, it should have a thick,
paste-like consistency.

• Rent a mixing drill or mechanical concrete

mixer from a hardware store to quickly and
more efficiently mix the render mortar.
• Remember to wash off your tools after mixing
the mortar so that the render doesn't harden
on them.
Method 3 of 3:
Applying the Render to the Wall

Smear the render onto the wall with a trowel.

1 Put the render mortar onto a trowel and press
it firmly into the wall. Spread the render up,
towards the top of the wall, and try to spread it in
one solid motion. Continue to apply the first coat
of render to the wall while keeping the coats of
render as even as possible.l7l
• The first coat of render should around 5mm
thick.
• Keep the bucket of render as close to the wall
as you can so that if the render drips, it will go
on the drop cloths.
2 Use a straight edge to level out the render.
Use a straight edge from a plank of wood and
scrape it over the surface of the render to even it
out. Go from the bottom to the top of the wall until
the render lies level with the wall's surface. [B]

• Use an aluminum bar or a 2x4 foot

(60.96x121.92 cm) plank of wood as your flat
edge.
3 Scratch the surface of the render with a
scratching comb. A scratching comb is a
comb-like tool with spikes on the end of a handle.
You can purchase a scratching comb from a
hardware store or online. Go from the left to the
right on your wall and create even depressions into
the wall. Continue to do this until the entire wall is
scratched with the comb. l9l

• The scratching comb will create depressions

in the wall that will help the second coat of
render adhere.

---

----
30 min -. -
-- ---~ ---~·
-
---..
-- -
.....
4 Let the first layer of render dry for two hours.
The first layer or render should start to harden
and adhere to the wall within 30 minutes. Check
the dryness after this time, but expect it to take
about two hours to dry completely. This layer must
adhere to the wall before you can begin to lay the
second coat. [1o]
5 Apply the second coat of render to the wall.
The second layer of render should be 10mm
thick. Lay down the second layer of render in the
same way that you applied the first layer, by
spreading it from bottom to top with a trowel. [11 l
6 Let the render dry for 30 minutes and even it
out again. Let the render stiffen up and use a
flat edge or a float to level out the second layer of
render. This step is called floating and will help you
flatten any raised areas and fill in any depressions
that may have been left in the second layer of
render.[721
7 Sponge down the render for a smooth finish.
If you want to give your render a smooth
finish, wipe down the surface of the render with a
damp sponge. Clean and squeeze out the sponge
as it gets dirty to avoid leaving scratches in your
wall. Go over the entirety of the wall until the
render has an even finish. [731

• Use a soft bristled brush instead of a sponge

to give the render a brushed finish.
• You can do this while the render is still wet.
8 Let the wall dry for 24 hours and then
moisten it with water. Let the wall dry for a 24
hour period, then mist it down with room
temperature water from a spray bottle once a day.
Adding moisture to the render will prevent it from
drying out and cracking. After five days, your
rendered wall should be completely cured and
complete. [14]
Things You'll Need

0 Pick

0 Stiff bristled broom

0 Hose

0 Water

0 Drop cloths

0 Render mortar

0 Trowel

0 Bucket

0 Shovelorhoe

0 Mixing drill or concrete mixer ( optional)

0 Scratching comb

0 Sponge
How to Build a Strong Retaining Wall
with 4x4 Treated Post

The instructions for building a retaining wall out of

4x4 treated post aim to help ambitious homeowners
and do-it-yourselfers tackle this task. If you
appreciate the satisfaction of creating visually
appealing and utilitarian property features, start with
step 1 !