Brick Veneering

BRICK is pretty much the home handy man's favorite masonry material. It's permanent, strong and easy to handle. Brick­laying, unlike extensive concrete work, can be done in small sections, and you can stop any time you wish. For most jobs you'll want to mix mortar batches in a wheelbarrow—just about the amount an amateur can handle before it starts to set

Common brick, which you can buy new or used, measures about 21/4x3¾x8 in. Used brick is just that—brick which has been reclaimed from a torn-down structure. You can also buy imitation used brick (!), a new brick which has been sent through a tumbling barrel and stained with various dyes so that it looks like it has been used. The difference between new "used" brick and real used brick is that the latter will have some of the original mortar adhering to it.

Fabricated or reclaimed used brick costs more than new brick. With the reclaimed type you have to pay for the labor involved in, for example, converting a brick wall back into individual bricks. With the other type you pay for the extra processing re­quired to give the brick a used look.

Used brick is popular because it is natural looking and informal in appearance. The amateur will have an easier time laying used brick simply because irregularities in spacing and joint thickness only enhance the over-all effect.

Face brick usually conforms to the size specifications set down for common brick (there are exceptions). Face brick can actually have a glazed surface for sanitary uses and for decorative effects.

Add the warmth and beauty of brick to your home—it's quite easy to do

Brick veneering can be formal or informal, run from grade to roof or just be a wainscoting. Brick used here is "Roman"—joints tooled with small round bar.

Prepare existing structure for brick veneer as shown in the left drawing. It's a good idea to tie the footing for brick into house founda­tion using steel anchors.

With new construction, the brick veneer ledge can be part of the foundation (see right). Bricks can be laid against studs (after cover­ing with building paper) if the house lacks sheathing.

Natural-looking used brick is popular, presents an attractive appearance (see right photo). This is real used brick as op­posed to the new "used" brick.

Siding is removed to height of veneer. Use heavy building paper over studs, overlapping joints about 12 in. Forms being placed are for patio
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First course is placed on full mortar bed. Note stretched line, break in wall for crawl space vent. Here, patio slab is the footing for a low wall.

Firebrick is especially made to with­stand high temperatures and you'll see it used in the home to line fireplaces. Size usually runs about 21/2x41/2x9 in.

Mortar for brickwork is a mixture of sand, cement, either fire clay or hydrated lime, and water. A good general formula for mortar is one part cement, one part clay and six parts sand. Two parts cement, one part clay and nine parts sand is a better mix for garden masonry.

The additive (clay or lime) makes the mortar mix more plastic and easier to handle. An argument for lime over clay is that lime retards mortar setting time a little and helps prevent shrinkage which can result in some joint separation.

Dry materials should be thoroughly mixed and then wet gradually. Continue to stir until the mortar is very plastic, yet stiff enough to hold together. Mortar that is too stiff is no good because it will not spread easily. A good test for mortar con­sistency is to see if the brick "beds" itself down nicely. Pressing the brick into posi­tion should squeeze out excess mortar through the joint. At this point it should be a little difficult for you to remove the brick by pulling it straight away; there should be enough suction to hold it. A good mixture will do this, yet have enough body to give you a full 1/2 in. joint.

Never mix more mortar than you can easily handle. If you mix in a wheelbarrow you can shovel small quantities of it onto a flat board kept close to where you're working. To avoid mortar preparation en­tirely, you can buy ready-mix mortar in paper sacks like cement. All you need do is add the correct amount of water.

Brick veneering is a fairly simple task for the amateur to tackle, and can do much to improve the appearance of a blank wall. Most often, brick veneering is done in combination with other materials—a kind of wainscoting above which can be wood or metal siding or stucco. Brick can also be used to form a full wall 'from grade to roof line.

Veneering is easier than building a full brick wall because it is only one brick thick and you work to lines already es­tablished by the house framing. On new construction a veneer ledge (the founda­tion for the brick) is cast as part of the house foundation or footing. On remodel­ing you excavate along the existing foun­dation and pour the footing separately.

To get an idea how the veneering will look, lay the brick dry directly against the house wall. This step will help you esti­mate how high you want to go. Place as many extra courses of brick as you need to compensate for the lack of joints (2in. per joint).

Vent space was spanned here by cutting brick to length, standing on edge in dab of mortar. Com­pleted wall is capped with half brick or drip cap.

Don't cover any "clean-outs." Buy short couplings so pipe openings can be extended to forward face of new wall. Cut brick to fit around pipes.

After first course, stretch line across from built-up corners to mark height of the second course. Lay down mortar bed to cover about five bricks.

Butter brick end, press firmly down, against mating brick. Tap lightly with trowel handle for final alignment. Slice off the squeezed-out mortar.

If the house siding is horizontal, remove it by prying away from the studs or sheathing. If the siding is vertical (board and batten, for example), use a portable saw to cut on a line established with a level. If the house has sheathing it's best to work with a circular saw, adjusting the depth of cut to the thickness of the siding.

If the house lacks sheathing, you can lay the brick directly against the studs after first covering them with a heavy, mineral-coated building paper. If sheath­ing is present, it's a good idea to leave a space of about 1 in. between the sheathing and the veneer. Flashing should be in­stalled in such a manner that it travels up the outside face of the veneer ledge, over the top of the ledge and about 1 ft. up the house wall over the building paper.

Start the actual bricklaying from the corners, building up to a height of about four bricks and being especially careful with joint thickness. Then, when you lay the bricks between, you'll have something to work to if you stretch a line across from corner to corner. Brick veneering is tied to the house studs with special corrosion-resistant metal clips (many masons use galvanized 16 or 20 penny nails instead of clips) which are nailed in place and spaced so that the extending arms will be bonded in mortar joints. You can avoid having to measure precisely beforehand by placing these clips as you go. Space the clips or nails about 30 in. apart horizon­tally and on top of every fifth or sixth course. Horizontal spacing is easy to main­tain when sheathing is present; otherwise work to accommodate stud spacing.

Work carefully over sheathing to avoid filling the gap between sheathing and brick with squeezed-out mortar. When working over paper, be careful not to per­forate it. A weathertight joint is essential when brick is used as a house wall. Many of the joints shown in the chapter on small walls are acceptable, but of great importance is the placing of full mortar beds and ample buttering of brick ends as you lay them. Only in this way will you be sure that the joints are really packed tight. Squeezed-out mortar is sliced off with the trowel and used to place the bricks that follow.

Don't lay too many courses of brick without pausing to tool joints of brick already placed. Mortar sets rapidly.

Raked joint on used brick can be formed with pointed stick. Remove mortar to depth of 3/8 in.; clean away crumbled mortar using a small brush.

Rough, flush joint can be made with short, stiff-bristle brush. When the mortar has set sufficiently, merely sweep the joints as shown in the photo.

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