Okay, so I wanted to try my hand at this whole bricklaying thing, specifically with black mortar. It sounded cool, you know, a bit different. So I gathered my tools and materials – bricks, obviously, and the stuff to make black mortar. I figured, how hard could it be, right?
First off, I made sure I had a flat surface to work on. I didn’t want my bricks going all wonky. Then, I mixed up the mortar. Getting the right mix was a bit of a guessing game at first. Too watery and it wouldn’t hold, too thick and it was like trying to spread concrete. Eventually, I got it just right. I added some black pigment to the mix. That was the plan all along, remember? Black mortar.
Laying the bricks was a whole other story. I started by spreading the mortar on the ground where I wanted my first row of bricks. I tried to be all neat and precise, but let’s be honest, it was a bit messy. Then I placed the first brick, pushed it down a bit to make sure it was secure. I repeated this for the rest of the row, trying to keep the bricks level and aligned. Key word here is “trying.”
- Spread the mortar: I used a trowel to spread the mortar.
- Place the brick: I placed each brick carefully on the mortar.
- Check for level: I used a spirit level to make sure the bricks were straight. This was important, but tough.
For the next row, I staggered the bricks, like you see in walls. I figured that’s how it’s done, to make it stronger. Spreading mortar on the edges of the bricks, placing them on top of the first row – it was a rhythm. A messy, tiring, but kind of satisfying rhythm. Did I mention it was a lot harder than it looks? Because it was.
I made a few mistakes along the way. Some bricks were crooked, and a few times I put too much mortar and it squished out like toothpaste. Fixing those mistakes was a pain, but I learned from them. The biggest lesson? Patience. You can’t rush this stuff, or it turns into a real mess.
Finally
In the end, I had something that vaguely resembled a brick structure with black mortar. It wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot. But it was mine, and I built it from scratch. I even impressed myself a little, to be honest. Would I do it again? Maybe. But next time, I’ll definitely watch a few more tutorials first.
