| Laying the First Course
1. Excavate the site and construct the footing.
2. Locate the corners of the wall on the footing. Dry-lay
the first course of blocks, leaving space for the mortar. Snap a
chalk line to mark the position of the blocks on the footing.
3. Pick up the blocks and spread a full bed of QUIKRETE®
Mason Mix or Mortar Mix on the footing. Use a trowel to furrow the
mortar. It is important to have plenty or mortar along the bottom
edges of the block for the first course.
4. Position the corner block carefully, with the thicker
end of the face shell up; all blocks should be laid this way to
provide a larger mortar bedding area. When handling a block, always
tip it slightly toward you so that you can see the edge of the course
below.
5. Place several blocks on end and apply mortar to their
vertical face shells. Push each block down into the mortar bed and
against the previously laid block. Joints should be about 3/8" thick.
6. After three or four blocks have been laid, use a level
to check for plumbness and correct alignment. Make any adjustments
by tapping the block with the trowel handle, then complete the first
course. Make all adjustments while the mortar is still soft. Any
attempt to move a block after the mortar has stiffened will break
the bond, weakening the wall and allowing moisture to penetrate.
Laying the Remaining Courses
 1.
With the remaining courses, mortar is applied to the horizontal
face shells of each block; for the vertical joints, mortar either
the previously laid block or the block to be placed, but not both.
As each block is laid, cut off the excess mortar with a trowel.
2. When laying the remainder of the wall, the corners should
be built first, usually 4 or 5 courses at a time. As each course
is laid at the corner, it should be stepped back a half block. Check
for plumbness, alignment, and horizontal spacing of the blocks.
3. To fill in the wall between corners, stretch
a mason's line from corner to corner and lay the top outside sedge
of the blocks against it. When placing the course block, all edges
of the opening and all four vertical edges of the closure block
should be buttered with mortar. Make sure all joints are tight and
weatherproof.
4. Work the joints after each section of the
wall has been laid, and mortar has partially hardened. Proper tooling
procedures uniform joints with sharp, clean lines. Tool the horizontal
joints first, then work the vertical joints with an S-shaped jointer.
.
5. Wood plates can be fastened to the top course. Use ½"
- diameter, 18" - long anchor bolts in the cores of the top 2 courses,
no more that 4' apart. Fill the cores with mortar, making sure that
the bolts extend a few inches above the top of the wall.
 For
Best Results
- Use QUIKRETE® Heavy-Duty Masonry Coating to waterproof both
above and below the grade line.
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