Do-it-yourself brick laying: types and masonry techniques

Brick construction has existed for more than one century, but when taking on the construction of a house for the first time, it is important to understand and know all the possibilities of laying out. Due to the availability of available video materials, even a beginner will be able to quickly master the necessary concepts, terms and understand the technological subtleties and secrets. Basic concepts, masonry technique, choice of dressing type - all this knowledge is needed if you have to lay bricks with your own hands.

Basic terms

The large side of the bar is called a pastel, the middle side is a spoon, the smallest is a poke. Dimensional gradations of bricks are standard: single 250*125*65 mm, one and a half 250*125*88 mm. As can be seen from the dimensions, the bars vary in thickness, so it is important to decide on the type of building material before starting work. At the same time, it is important to take into account that different manufacturers often offer goods with a gradation tolerance of 2-5 mm, and this is a significant difference for laying out wall panels. Therefore, before ordering a batch, it makes sense to measure several samples in order to understand what the brickwork will be like, which depends on strict adherence to product manufacturing technology.

Important! A stable geometric shape is a must: all corners of the bar should be located only at 90 degrees. Otherwise, laying bricks will require more labor to minimize bursting loads and prevent collapse of the wall panel.

Types of masonry

Depending on the purpose, wall panels can perform a different role: finishing, load-bearing, partitions. Based on these parameters, the requirements of thermal conductivity and load capacity, schemes for laying brick structures are selected:

1. B 0.5 is a facing option with a wall thickness of 125 mm. In order to save a little material, it is allowed to supply the element on spoons to make a 1/4 wall, but a reinforcing mesh is required for every 4-5 row.
2. In 1 brick, load-bearing wall panels or partitions are made. The wall thickness is 250 mm, which is indicated for small objects, private housing construction.
3. At 1.5; 2; 2.5 bricks are load-bearing wall panels that are suitable for both private and multi-storey construction.

What is dressing, the names of the rows

Brickwork consists of separate elements, but must be a kind of monolith so that the building is used as long as possible. To increase the strength indicators, builders use seam displacement schemes - the elements are the weak point of the structure. This technique is called dressing, it provides a bunch of different rows and elements, redistributing the load on the surface of neighboring bars. Ensuring the displacement of the seam is achieved by a different arrangement of the brick:

1. If they are pushed to the front side with a poke, then the row has the name of a poke;
2. If turned to the pastel with a spoon, the row is spoon.

Important! Always 1 row on the foundation and the last row in the wall - bonder! It is made only from whole bricks.

Single-row dressing

This is one of the most practiced options. Using the alternating row technique always provides a good result. This type of ligation is called 1-row or chain ligation, and is indicated for use on walls not planned for final cladding. Masonry can be performed both on external and load-bearing types of walls. And how to do it, a single-row brick laying will show - a video from experts.

Advice! Professionals advise adopting the "principle of 5 bricks", that is, dressing with exactly 5 bars - this technology is simple, but at the same time it will significantly strengthen the wall panels.

Wall masonry schemes

If brickwork is carried out in 2 bars, then it is worth remembering two more definitions: both outer spoon rows have the name of a verst. Moreover, the outer verst looks outward, the inner - into the premises of the house. The space between the rows is called a backfill, and it can be filled with a low-quality bar or a used one, since this space is closed on all sides. To carry out the masonry, you will need to use a sawn bar: half and 3/4 of the bar are needed to fit the size range.

The angle pattern is important in this case. First, the corners are set, then the rope is pulled over them and the laying is carried out. To lay out a corner in one brick, first two bars are installed in 3/4, then whole bars. Exactly the same scheme when laying out 1.5 bricks, you will also need 2 bars of 3/4 size and bars of 1/4 size. The spoon row is performed alternately on the outer and inner mile. When arranging a wall in 2 bricks, for 1 row you will need all the same 2 pieces in 3/4 bars and 6 pieces in 1/4 bars, the second row is laid out with 1 bar in 3/4 and 2 bars in 1/4.

Multi-row dressing

There are several spoon rows here: 6 when building in 1 brick and 5 when building in 1.5 bars. They are interspersed with one butt row. The first and last rows are also placed with a poke. The option is suitable for laying out external, internal wall panels, which are planned for subsequent finishing or will be covered with insulation.

Wall masonry scheme

To ensure the solidity of the structure, the spoon rows are also tied up, but a crushed block of brick can be used to shift the seam. It all starts from the corners, but here if the wall is one block, then the even and odd rows are the same, except for the first one. If the wall is 1.5 bars, then the 1-2 row goes tychkovy, alternately located in the outer and inner wall, 3-4 rows - spoon, 5 row as the third, 6 row as the fourth. You can sometimes make not a multi-row scheme of 5 bricks, but a three-row scheme, then the laying is repeated from the fifth row.

The junction of the walls is mandatory in order to increase the strength of the junction of the walls, which is achieved by the presence of a dressing. As you can see in the photo, and as the drawing shows, all the layout options are pretty clear. The main thing is not to make a mistake and lay out the first row with a poke, like the last one - this, unfortunately, is one of the common mistakes of novice masons.

Masonry mortar

The masonry mortar is made up of M400 cement, clean sand and water. The proportions of the batch are 1:4 or 1:5, if the M500 brand is taken. The kneading order does not change regardless of the use of manual or machine labor: cement is poured into the sifted sand, mixed, and only then water is added. The amount is not more than 0.6 parts, it all depends on the plasticity of the composition. It is easier to work with a softer mixture, it fills voids, but consumption increases, therefore it is more practical to work with a harder mixture, it is also indicated for the construction of walls from hollow bricks.

Advice! To improve the quality of the mixture, it is permissible to add lime, clay, soap detergent. The volume of additives should not exceed 0.1 parts.

Building brick laying technique

The mixed composition rises to the place of work, where it is distributed for one row: under the bonder width 200-220 mm, under the spoon 80-100 mm. In the case of filling the seam entirely, you need an indent from the edge of about 10-15 mm. The height of the applied solution is not more than 20-25 mm, it is necessary to level the mixture with a trowel.

There are two masonry techniques: pressing - it is used on a hard mortar, butting - if the mortar is plastic.

Back-to-back technique

The solution is laid out on the entire wall, thickness up to 20 mm, indent from the edge 20 mm. The edges of the seam may remain unfilled, so the technique is not used in earthquake-prone areas. To lay out the spoon row, the solution is raked up with a brick poke, when docking, the bar is pressed down a little, remove the excess mixture and send it to the bucket. The voids in the seams must be filled when laying out the mixture for the next row.

When laying out the bonded row, the composition is scooped up with a spoon edge, lay out the backfill in the same way as the bonded rows, press it with the palm of your hand and make sure that the ideal evenness of the stone laying is observed.

Technique "squeeze"

It is used in the case of a low-plastic solution. The mixture is laid out with a gap from the edge of 10 mm, the thickness of the calculation is 20 mm. The brick is pressed down to the required joint thickness of 10-12 mm. Collect excess mixture with a trowel, checking the evenness of the rows is required. The technique requires more labor, but it turns out to be more dense.

Jointing is performed after laying bricks for jointing. While the solution has not yet hardened, the seam is compacted, deepened by 2 mm or smoothed out. The procedure is carried out for wall structures that are not prepared for final finishing work or insulation cladding.

decorative masonry

Do-it-yourself facing brick laying for cornices requires the use of a full-bodied whole bar, and the protruding part should not be more than 1/3 of the total length. At the same time, you will have to think over the lining of all the decorations, in particular, if there are sandriks, then you will have to equip a common cornice and think over the angular moments. There are no special technological difficulties in laying out: all bricks are placed with their face outward so that the cladding looks aesthetically pleasing. Finishing is most often laid out for jointing, the process is described above. Applicable:

1. Cross layout in which 1 row is laid with a spoon, 2 - with a poke;
2. Brandenburg with 2 short and 1 long display edge;
3. Russian - in which spoons are alternately placed in each row - a poke;
4. Archaic with arbitrary layout.

There is also a "track", "checkerboard" and other technologies that are acceptable when working with finishing. A very good variation is obtained by laying out every 5 bricks with a poke. Not only a pattern is provided, but also a kind of dressing of rows, which implies an increase in the strength of the entire masonry.

How to lay fireclay bricks

A prerequisite is to ensure the evenness of the seams and the preliminary dry laying of refractory bricks. This will keep the rows even and fit the elements in shape. The technology is as follows: each stacked top row overlaps the gaps of the previous one. Proper jointing is required: a shallow seam will collect water and soot. Depending on the temperature regime, a seam width of 1, 2, 3, 4 mm is allowed. The higher the heat, the thinner the seam should be. Be sure to check the uniformity of the thickness of the solution and the evenness of the stacked rows.

Silicate brick masonry

The work requires the use of a low-plastic cement composition. The technique is used butt, and the mortar must be laid with a thickness of 10 mm, leveled, removed with a trowel, and put a brick. Press the bar, it is even better to tap it with a mallet. The stitching is done immediately. The laying of silicate bricks will only be better if the bars are lowered into water for a couple of seconds before laying out, so the mixture will set faster and the mortar will dry evenly.