About this Project

Laying bricks in mortar is a skill that requires practice before you become proficient. You probably will never be able to throw mortar and lay bricks as quickly as a journeyman, but with patience you can learn to make straight walls with clean joints.

Professional masons take their mortar seriously. Mortar must be just the right consistency, neither soupy nor dry. It must have the correct ratio of sand, lime, and cement. Otherwise, laying bricks will be a struggle and it will be difficult to keep the courses even. For small jobs and repair work, use premixed mortar that contains sand. For larger jobs, you may be able to save money by buying the sand and the cement separately and mixing them yourself.