18
The tile floor shouldn't be a structural weakness, but if it's glazed you won't get a good mortar bond. I'd install anchor bolts every 32" or so, aligned with block cores, and fill those cores with mortar.
It might be easier to simply cut the tile inside the wall line and remove it, though.
Also be aware that your slab may not be designed to carry a ...
13
One way is by looking at the bond of the bricks. Your bricks are arranged in a running bond or stretcher bond, which is always one brick thick:
To be a structural brick wall it would have to be more than one brick thick, or have multiple wythes, and you would see headers, like this:
It's likely your walls are wood-framed with single-wythe brick veneer on ...
13
Trying to mount an articulating arm that is designed to mount to a single stud will not stand up mounted to that type of wall construction. Even with long lag bolts there is just too much chance that mount will move around and cut into the drywall, become loose and make a mess of things.
What you should be doing is to mount a panel of good quality 3/4" ...
8
If you don't have the proper structure under the area, you're not going to want to use full sized bricks for this project. Brick walls require proper concrete footings to support the massive amount of weight, if you don't have the ability to add the footings you won't be able to build a brick wall here.
In situations like this, veneer will likely be your ...
8
The frame is of wood. The brick is a cladding on the outside. It is not a veneer. A veneer is fake layer of thin brick-like parquets that are secured with a cement or glue to a backing of some kind. In other words a stone or brick veneer does not have full-sized bricks. Your house does have full-size bricks, but they are not used for structural purposes. It ...
8
NO, NO, NO, never install concrete block on tile. You don’t say what kind of tile is installed on your concrete slab, but it doesn’t matter if it’s “ceramic tile” or “terra-cotta tile” or “porcelain tile” or “stone” or “slate”. Regardless, you’ll have future problems because: 1) differing strength in compression, 2) different expansion coefficients, 3) ...
8
I believe that is called a spring pin anchor or express nail
To remove it, I'd try these:
or any nail puller.
Spraying some Liquid Wrench or other light lubricant might make it easier to pull out, but also slippery to hold onto, and might make an oily rusty stain.
8
A standard brick is 8" x 2.25" x 3.5". Ignore the 3.5" as that's how thick the wall will be. 8" * 2.25" is 18 sq. in. A square foot is 144 sq. in. (12 * 12). 144 sq. in. divided by 18 sq. in. is 8. But I left out the mortar. It's possible that the mortar on six bricks is equal to about two bricks.
Another way of looking at this is that each brick is ...
7
Looking at your pic, I think you have a couple of problems to solve. the reason the bricks broke in the first place is that the base under the edge of the bricks is too low or uneven. This cause the edge of the bricks to break under pressure. I also see that the crack has traveled further to the inside brick and that one as well as the mortar joint is ...
7
Mortar is not waterproof. However, there are products that can be applied to mortar (and other concrete materials), that can make the mortar waterproof.
7
Looking at the Milwaukee web site the chuck capacity refers to the largest solid bit (hole diameter) the drill is capable of drilling. They are referring to using a solid bit not a hole saw. If you notice, that diameter increases as the power of the drill increases along with the price. That is not to say that you can't drill a hole larger than the rated ...
6
If by HMA you mean Hot-Melt Adhesive, that stuff is for arts & crafts, not construction.
You should be using construction adhesive.
LOCTITE®, LIQUID NAILS®, DAP®, and possibly other adhesive manufacturers offer a molding adhesive.
6
It occurred to me that this project might benefit from a single piece stone cap and eliminate lintel altogether. You could incorporate a bit of slope and weather proof the structure. A stone supply house could fashion it out of limestone.
More traditional lintel:
This window drawing is pretty analogous to a mailbox opening:
You are probably building a ...
6
Quikrete FASTSET Repair Mortar is a great product. The biggest difference between it and a typical type S mortar is that it is "fastset" (duh) meaning it will be hard in about 20 min. Not cured, but hardened. And that it is intended for commercial use as it will eventually reach 6000 psi after it's full 28 day cure. This product does not need any bonding ...
6
Concrete is strongest when the mix is as dry as possible, and weaker when the mix is wetter. A highly liquid mix is therefore almost always a bad idea.
This is well understood/documented/tested in the industry, tends to be poorly understood by homeowners and some of the less educated pros.
Likewise, the importance of plenty of water for the curing process ...
5
First of all, I hope the mortar wasn't concrete. Concrete and mortar, while related, are two different things. Mortar is meant to be softer and give (rather than the brick or stone giving and thereby cracking).
The proper solution is to re-tuck-point the joint. That means chip/grind out the old mortar and put new mortar back in.
Alas, mortared steps are ...
5
It is efflorescence. Water picks up minerals in the mortar and transports them until the water evaporates, leaving the minerals behind. Other than cosmetic issues, this is normally harmless, though if the process continues for a long period, enough minerals can be removed that the mortar sort of rots.
Only close inspection will indicate if the mortar is ...
5
Considering how little exposure you will get to the mortar for your small project, you're probably fine with just your work gloves. Wearing latex gloves under your work gloves will provide additional protection. I would suggest that for the people who will be working directly with the mortar.
Big picture, more important than gloves is breathing protection. ...
5
Open a window and measure from the face of the brick to the inside wall. If it's 14 plus inches, that's at least two courses of brick. It will be obvious if it is; questionable if it's any less thick than that.
One brick (4") and a 2x4 stud wall = ~8"
Two bricks and a stud = ~12"
Add 1" if it's lath and plaster; add 1/2" for drywall. Allow another 1/2" ...
4
Paint difficulties can be resolved by scraping and priming with a shellac or oil based primed. I prefer the polyurethane based construction adhesives for strength and toughness. Their down side is cure time (overnight)
Another scheme would be to cut back the plaster to 75% of the baseboard height with a diamond blade in an angle grinder (yes, very messy: ...
4
Cement surface and even paint (scarifed with 50 grit belt sander or similar) can stay, if both are well adhered..
An experiment is in order:
Use a good quality thinset, (Laticrete Platinum 254 or Custom Flexbond)
Trowel on 1/4 inch patch (4in x 4in or so).
Wait 24 hours
Chip off patch with a chisel
Observe the removed thinset:
If it cleaves off ...
4
Just get replacement windows instead of new construction and use tapcons to fasten the windows through the sides. Caulk outside good to keep out water. Foundation should also be graded away from the window to keep out water.
4
They make them. Not concrete blocks per se but other precast concrete units. You'll need to find out if you're local suppliers carry them or you have a precast stone manufacturer near you.
The family of products you're talking about, which includes not only the half round but other shapes, are called concrete coping stones. That should help you ask around ...
4
Insulation value of masonry walls vs wood-frame walls
You should be able to find guidance. For example Scottish Guidance, UK Guidance
In the UK, I believe regulations specify maximum U-values
U-values are measured in watts per square metre per degree Kelvin (W/m²K).
So for example, if we consider a double glazed window with a U-value of 2.8, for every ...
4
There is a product called Sure Klean® that is used nowadays. I am sure there are other brands out there too. Muriatic acid used to be used, at least it was when I was a masons helper, but I think Its availability is regulated. Sure-Klean has it, just in small amounts I guess.
It needs to be diluted and protection worn, it pretty caustic stuff, so read the ...
4
Since you're working with other minors, at a very minimum, you should follow OSHA guidelines:
Skin Irritation:
Wet portland cement can cause caustic burns, sometimes referred to as
cement burns. Cement burns may result in blisters, dead or hardened skin, or black or green skin. In severe cases, these burns may extend
to the bone and cause disfiguring scars ...
4
If you'd like to minimize use of concrete, don't use any. I have 4 sheds that have been sitting for 14 years on sections of pressure treated wood, set on top of the ground - and a 5th that's on 4 pressure treated wood posts set into the ground. No concrete at all. Wooden floors (not pressure treated - only the ground-contact wood is PT.)
Nice and dry.
4
Yes, mortar is waterproof. It is "relatively unaffected" by water "under specified conditions".
Water-proof or water-resistant describes objects relatively unaffected by water or resisting the ingress of water under specified conditions. –Waterproofing, Wiki
However, anything claiming waterproof is likely a long way away from being watertight or ...
4
Those are terra cotta blocks. They are, indeed, hollow. You could drill (carefully! Terra Cotta is fragile when drilling) and fill each and every block with low expansion foam (has normal expansion foam could break the blocks).
But that would be a huge project. And you'd still have major thermal bridging issues along the edges of each brick. It'd be much ...
4
Depending on where you live, reclaimed brick can be very inexpensive. The same theory still applies: if there's a problem in the future, just pull up the bricks and re-level the bed. However, bricks are thicker than bluestone, so will you have less stone/sand between the brick and the roots, and thus less room for adjustment.
Another possibility is just ...
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