Bricklaying on your own

[Ian H]

How goods your bricklaying, and assuming you've got a 65mm brick width, then you'd get 15 bricks with a 12mm perp.

Very average and the bricks are 73mm ones. I think I will lay them out dry and mark the perps on the lintel.

 

[Doggit]

You'll get 14, with a slightly narrow 10mm perp (14 bricks, and 15 perps) so marking the lintels a very sensible idea.

 

[stuart45]

If it's a catnic lintel you could wedge a straight batten between the reveals at the correct height for the soldiers and mark the gauge on this. It also helps hold the bricks in place, especially usefull with difficult bricks.

 

[Ian H]

Yes, it's a catnic.

So a piece of 4x1 in the outside opening so it will just touch the bricks where they overgang? Great idea, thanks

 

[stuart45]

So a piece of 4x1 in the outside opening so it will just touch the bricks where they overgang?

Yes the bricks usually overhang the lintel, and with certain bricks there is a tendancy to fall down and outwards a bit, so if the edge of the bricks rest on the batten it holds them steady.

 

[noseall]

Can anyone give me some advice on laying soldiers

Make sure the lintel is propped and your joints are full. The bricks will want to try and tip. Mix your mortar stiff.

 

[23vc]

As a novice, the way I did it was to have the lintel already bedded so it wasn't going to move, then I had the normal brick line to lay to, and plumbed each soldier with a boat level, also kept checking that the overhang over the lintel at the front was consistent.

I find the black catnics lintels with the flat front edge, much easier than some of the other types which have a downward sloped lip at the front, had a nightmare with one of those, as the bricks wanted to tip forward.

 

[Ian H]

Thanks,

And my last question before I brave the scaffold.

Should I lay the 2 rows of bricks first or just go along the first row and do the soldiers as I go?

 

[^woody^]

I'd prop every steel lintel and lay the bed flat and smooth on the lintel so as not needing to tap the bricks. Tapping and vibration are to be avoided.

If tipping bricks are a problem then have a look at Mulligan's Steel Lintel Jig
www.aboutroofing.com/mulligans-steel-lintel-jig.html

and http://buildersinnovateltd.com

 

[^woody^]

Should I lay the 2 rows of bricks first or just go along the first row and do the soldiers as I go?

Build up the sides first, then put the soldiers in.

 

[Doggit]

You could knock a pair of those up from 18mm ply or similar, and they wouldn't wobble so much either.

 

[Ian H]

I've made a start this morning.

I propped the centre but didn't have anything thin enough to sit in the opening and over the lintel so I marked the centre and then just went accross measuring in multiples of 83mm.

Couple of pics:

It looks crap up close but if you stand at the top of the garden and squint a bit it looks pretty good

I'm just past the middle so need to move the scaffold after a sandwich.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Looking good Ian..................it suits you with your hair up.



Andy

 

[stuart45]

Thought you laying them overhand over the top of the lintel when I saw the first photo Ian. I was thinking you must be really good to do that.

 

[Ian H]

Done now, it looks better than the rest of the house, which isn't hard to be honest

A couple of them lean out a bit more but you would only notice while your cleaning the gutters.

Thanks very much for the advice