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SAVING CASH Tips - Fixing YOUR PERSONAL Masonry
Hi, it's me again. I've been reading a lot about how exactly you can spend less buying this or that thing cheaper, and that's fine, but what if it's something really big like your roof is leaking or the bricks are coming apart in your chimney.

Many people are afraid of doing something similar to laying bricks or fixing or sealing up a brick chimney, but it is pretty easy. I learned to lay brick by reading a basic book on basic brick work and in addition by spending a little time watching bricklayers at the job, and observing their motions. It took just a little practice, but not too much time before I acquired the hang of it, and the outcome was a little brick cottage that I built filled with two doors and five window openings.


The biggest challenge to working with brick is getting the mortar to be the ideal consistency. If it's too wet it runs off the trowel and when it's too dry it's too much to mold. There is a process called tucking, where you squish the mortar in between the bricks and seal up the cracks. In plenty of older homes, the brickwork was made out of mortar that was saturated in lime or otherwise not quite as durable as the mortar used today. So over time with the weather freezing and thawing, it eventually starts to crumble on the outside. You can save it by sealing it in with new mortar.

The trick to tucking would be to not have an excessive amount of mortar on the trowel, but yet apply enough to the seam in order that after the initial application after that you can take the end of the trowel and press it in to the crack. Dry Stone Masonry Marple is pretty forgiving in that it generally does not dry hard for up to an hour once you apply it. So by firmly taking a wire brush to your sealed joints, and utilizing a finishing tool, your repairs will end up looking quite professional.

Whether it's some new project you are doing you will want to use a string in order to get the bricks perfectly straight. It requires some attention to detail to get this done. I ended up using a tiny level to make certain each brick was level in both directions (as well as straight with the string) before shifting. I wasn't as fast as the professionals, but might work is solid also it looks great!

I've done just fine with the bags of mortar you buy from the hardware store for this. An excellent book is indispensable, of course. I can't teach you how to fix old bricks in a brief article like this, but I think viewers when you get into the swing of things, you can do this and probably save thousands of dollars on repairs. If you get good at it, you may be able to even go out and make some cash at it.

I would suggest rubber gloves to safeguard your hands. And make sure to clean your tools thoroughly afterwards. Dried cement is nearly impossible to get off.

Here's my website: https://www.openlearning.com/u/mckenziesantos-re5bua/blog/WhatSortOfMasonryMustIUseForMyHome