How to Make a Brick Veneer Fence Pillar

Dry set the bricks you are using around your fence post to determine how many bricks you will need for each row, or course, and how large your footing will need to be. Allow a half inch between the bricks for joints. Measure the outside of this first row of bricks.

Measure the thickness of the bricks you are using, and add a half inch for a cement joint. Determine how tall you plan to build the brick column. Divide the height of the column by the thickness of the bricks and joint to find out how many courses you will need to build. Multiply the number of courses by the number of bricks in the first course to calculate the number of bricks you should have. Add at least 10 percent to that number for broken or damaged bricks that may arrive in your order.

Create the support form for the concrete footing. Dig out the dirt from the sides of the fence post about 4 to 6 inches deep, using a shovel. Cut four pieces of scrap lumber with a circular saw to the outside dimension of the first course of bricks you determined in Step 1. These will serve as the form. Set the lumber, with the fence post in the center. The top of the form should be level with the ground. If necessary, support the outer sides of the form with stakes. Set a carpenter’s level on top of the form to ensure that it is level.

Mix a batch of quick-set concrete, following the package directions. Pour the concrete mixture into the opening around the fence post. Smooth the top of the concrete level with the top of the form, using a trowel. Allow the concrete to dry overnight. Remove the forms, and backfill the area around the concrete.

Mix more quick-set concrete. Spread the concrete an inch thick onto the footing, using a trowel. Set the bricks into the concrete. As you butt the edges of the adjoining bricks together, add a half inch of mortar between each brick to create a joint. Set the level on the bricks to keep this course level as you set them.

Cover the first course of bricks with a half-inch layer of concrete. Set the second course as you did the first, but stagger all the joints to create a structurally sound pillar. If you need to cut any bricks to create staggered joints, score both sides of the brick with a chisel. Tap on one end with a hammer to break the brick. Continue to check the bricks to make sure they are level.

Continue building the brick fence pillar until the courses are even with the top of the post. As the column gets taller, check that it is straight up and down, using a carpenter's level.

Run a jointer tool over the joints before they completely set to give them a uniform appearance.

Place a half-inch of concrete on top of your final row of bricks. Set a square capstone slightly larger than the column on top of the pillar, and level it to finish the project.