Landscape Wall Materials

Stone

• Stone walls can be the most pleasing to the eye, but tend to be time-consuming to create. A simple rubble wall has a natural appearance, sloped slightly backwards toward the top and thicker at the base for added stability. Finding stones that fit tightly together is difficult, though this problem can be circumvented by filling in gaps with gravel. Adding mortar to the wall can strengthen it further, but this type of wall is one of the most expensive. Cut stone, boulders and face stones mortared to a concrete base are other options.

Wood

• Timber walls are less common than they once were, but still make an attractive addition to a landscape or house with a rustic look. Wood is also much cheaper than stone, allowing you to build larger walls at lower prices. To provide strength, most wood walls are constructed with "deadmen," or anchoring timbers set perpendicularly at regular intervals into the side of the landscape. Wood walls must be treated with preservatives to prevent rotting over time.

Concrete

• Concrete block walls tend to be some of the least expensive to build, while still providing a high-quality appearance. Blocks are available in many decorative styles, ranging from flat-faced varieties to three-way split with angled edges. Weathered blocks of varying sizes work to provide a natural, mosaic appearance. Concrete blocks range widely in internal structure, as well, with hollow cores to be filled with gravel or lip and pin systems for greater stability. Solid concrete walls are also possible, though these come with the risk of eventual unsightly cracks.

Brick

• Brick walls can be used almost like concrete blocks, differing primarily in the addition of mortar. Bricks are made out of clay or other natural materials, but are given a regular shape for easy stacking. That, combined with the added cost of mortar to hold the wall together, makes a brick wall one of the more expensive, albeit attractive, possibilities. Many brick walls are mortared to a concrete base, to ensure maximum strength.