How to Face a Brick Wall

Prepare the wall. Clean it thoroughly if it is new concrete, concrete block or plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing, to remove all dust and debris. Power-wash any old masonry surface. Inspect the sheathing if is not new to repair any rotted or damaged areas. Drive all nails firmly in with a hammer so no heads stick up.

Cover a sheathed wall with a moisture barrier such as a house wrap, fastened to the sheathing with a construction stapler. Install metal lath, thin sheets with diamond-shaped openings, on any wood sheathing. Nail the lath to the wall studs and at all edges, corners or window or door openings. Use tip snips to cut it to fit around openings.

Check for a brick ledge, a 4-inch concrete strip outside the basic wall, usually poured as part of a foundation. Dig a trench with a spade, if no ledge exists, that's 4 inches wide and 4 inches deep along the length of the wall. Fill the trench with concrete, smooth it with a mason's trowel and check with a level to make sure the surface is level It should butt firmly to the existing foundation.

Dampen a masonry wall with a sprayer or garden hose with a misting nozzle. Mix mortar in a bucket or similar container according to the directions on the package. It should be solid enough to stand on its own, but fluid enough to spread easily. Mix enough for only about half an hour of work; start with small quantities until you get used to working with the mixture.

Set stakes at the corners of the wall and stretch mason's twine between them. Use a line level to level the string and make sure it is straight along the wall. Spread 1/2 inch of mortar on the bottom, back and one end of the first brick. Lay it on the base and press it firmly against the masonry or metal lath so the mortar will bond with the basic wall.

Add a second brick with 1/2 inch of mortar and set it beside the first brick. Keep adding bricks to the end of the wall. Check periodically with a level to make sure that the base course is level. Start a second course with a half brick, cut in two with a mason's saw. That will make the next full brick overlap the two beneath it in a running bond pattern. Start every other course with a half brick.

Lay three full courses, and then begin installing brick ties on a wood-sheathed wall; ties are not needed on a masonry wall since the mortar will bond with the masonry. Nail one end of the thin corrugated metal tie to a stud in the wall and put the other end in a horizontal mortar joint between bricks. Space ties on every stud, at 16 inches, and on every sixth course of brick, also at 16 inches. Keep checking the courses to make sure they are level and plumb.

Finish the joints every two or three courses before the mortar has dried. Use a steel finishing tool with a convex end to push mortar in the joint into a concave shape so water will drain out of the joint. Dampen the end of the tool to help make a smooth joint. Scrape off any excess mortar before it dries on the bricks.

Work along and up the wall. Install steel lintels over any window or door openings. These metal plates go across the opening and fasten into mortar joints on each side to support courses of bricks above them. Cut bricks with a mason's saw as needed to fit around the sides of window and door openings.

Use ladders or scaffolding to reach higher parts of the wall when you can no longer lay bricks comfortably from the ground. Work to the top of the wall, and try to space the bricks so a full brick will finish the top course; otherwise, cut bricks lengthwise to fit between the last full course and the soffit or top of the wall.