Okay, so I wanted to put some bricks together for a little project in my backyard. Nothing fancy, just a small border for my herb garden. I figured I needed mortar, you know, that stuff that holds bricks together. Turns out, making it isn’t rocket science, but getting it just right takes a little bit of know-how.
Mixing My First Batch
First, I gathered my materials. I already have a bag of Portland cement lying around. And then coarse sand, obviously I need that too. A quick trip to the hardware store later, I grabbed a bag of hydrated lime. Make sure you get the hydrated kind, not the stuff for your lawn! That’s a whole different beast.
Now for the fun part – mixing! I learned the hard way that you don’t want to make a huge batch all at once. This stuff starts to set up, and you don’t want to be rushing. So, I started small.
- The Recipe: I went with a pretty standard mix: 3 parts sand, 1 part cement, and 1/2 part lime. I just used a small bucket as my measuring cup. Keep it consistent, whatever you use.
- Dry Mixing: I dumped the sand, cement, and lime into a bigger mixing tub (a wheelbarrow works great too). Then, I used a hoe to mix all the dry ingredients together really well. You want it to look uniform, no streaks of different colors.
- Adding Water: Here’s where it gets tricky. I slowly added water, mixing with the hoe as I went. You don’t want it too soupy, and you don’t want it too dry. Think of it like… thick pancake batter, or maybe a bit stiffer than that. It should hold its shape when you scoop it. I mixed it up many times.
- The “Test”: I grabbed a trowel (one of those flat bricklaying tools) and scooped up some mortar. I held the trowel sideways – the mortar should cling to it, not slide right off, but not be super stiff either. You want it workable.
My first batch was a little too wet, I admit. I added a bit more sand and cement to thicken it up. It’s a bit of trial and error, really. Second try, much better! It held its shape nicely and felt good on the trowel.
Laying the Bricks
With my mortar ready, I started laying my bricks. I spread a layer of mortar on the ground, then pressed the first brick into it. Then, I “buttered” the end of the next brick with mortar and placed it next to the first, leaving a small gap (about 3/8 inch is good). I kept going like that, checking with a level to make sure things were straight.
It’s definitely a messy job! Mortar gets everywhere. But it’s also kind of satisfying, seeing the wall come together. After a while, I scraped off the excess mortar that squeezed out between the bricks. You can use a pointing tool for a neater look, but I just used the edge of my trowel.
Cleaning Up
Once I was done, I cleaned my tools right away. Dried mortar is a pain to remove. I just hosed everything down. And that’s it! My little brick border was finished. It’s not perfect, but it’s mine, and I learned a lot in the process. And I can fix it if something’s wrong. Next time, I’ll probably try a slightly different mix, maybe experiment with a bit more lime for a smoother texture. But for now, I’m pretty happy with my handiwork!
