Building A Rock Retaining Wall With Mortar

Dig a trench about 6 inches wider than your wall.

Building a rock retaining wall with mortar.

For example if the lower wall is three feet. You have to be more fussy about the fit of the stones. Shovel the filler material into the caps and use the soil tamper to compact the material into the gaps. Make the width of the wall about 1 3 of the height for strength.

When building a tiered set of retaining walls position the higher wall behind the lower wall at twice the distance as the height of the lower wall. Brush water across each stone before applying the mortar. Use extra cement and smaller rocks to fill in spaces caused by the rocks irregularities. A freestanding dry stone wall is similar to a retaining wall but with a few variations.

Tamp the gravel in the bottom of the trench and pour at least 8 inches of concrete. Mortar adheres better to a clean wet surface. Place the top stones as the last layer of rock taking care to make the top of the wall as flat as possible. Building a freestanding dry stone wall.

Here are the three main principles you need to obey. Https amzn to 2ulyfdtif you buy something th. If you have broken chunks of concrete or bricks they can be interspersed in the wall. Wipe any excess mortar from the rocks.

Apply a 1 2 layer of soil and filler on top of the first course of stone and compact the layer. Apply a base coat of mortar beneath the wall onto a carefully prepared foundation. Video is not sponsored used tools wire brush. A mortar wall must be built on a firm foundation or its joints will crack.

Let the base coat dry and set for 24 hours and then start laying the stones horizontally. Mix the cement in amounts that can be used before it sets up. Apply mortar to seal in the top stones. It must be deeper than the frost line or at least 12 inches deep for a 3 foot high wall.

If not cement them with a mortar mix like quikrete fig.