Bricklaying Techniques!!!

[wsteve55]

Looking at these walls in Newquay,along the dock rd,I wondered how they built such long stretches of wall,without expansion gaps? They still look in good condition,even now,and I'm guessing they have been up for best part of a century!?

[Oudeis]

No cement!
Lime mortar does not 'set' so can absorb/go along with any movement. :)

[wsteve55]

Really! As you can see,there are no bulges,etc! So why dont they use this technique now,as you often see newish walls,that have already dropped out of line/true?

[Oudeis]

The pros and cons can be explained through Google, as usual...

Use of Traditional Lime Mortars in Modern Brickwork

One other reason is that (they say) a large mass of brickwork can more easily handle changes in temperature, +/-

[the plain fact may be that cement is easier to work with]

[dazza]

Another reason why older traditional brickwork looks much better than today's examples - with expansion joints every couple of metres, usually gunked up with brick-coloured mastic!

Also, older walls are at least likely to be one brick thick [215mm] rather than single leaf [102.5mm] cosmetic walls they throw up today.

'Traditional Lime Mortars' - thanks I'll remember that in future.

[Mossy]

If mortar keeps bricks to gether what keeps them apart lol

Mossy

[dazza]

Very good Mossy, I think this Bricklayer in Bangladesh can answer your question. :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26NxU9j2Fpk&feature=related

[wsteve55]

Another example is the wall,that was the back of the Necropolis,(Grant garden's now,I think?) The cemetery closed in 1910,and the wall looks fine,in spite of it's age,which must be around 150 yrs old!

[dazza]

I think the trade-off to working with cement isn't worth it. The masonry just looks fake! Long live 150 year old walls! :)

[George]

Those walls will stay true for a very good number years but in the case of just walls they have no load bearing to make them move out of true.

Its a different kettle of fish when theres a load bearing imposed on same brick and mortar structure,for instance the old 120/130 year old 2 up 2 down houses,some of these house walls moved so badly ove the years that they bellied out and eventually just collapsed,its quite common as many back house walls at the back of where I'm living have gone that way and had to be rebuilt when I look out my back window I see 3 new extensions that have been built at sometime or other and even my own is slightly bellying out when I look at the house wall sideways.

I've even seen frontages of old house's completely fallen out using the brick& mortar of the Victorian age.

Load bearing plays a part in whether a high wall will withstand the test of time.

[Oudeis]

...and the fact that these walls are not on a bend in the road. ;)

[wsteve55]

I think the trade-off to working with cement isn't worth it. The masonry just looks fake! Long live 150 year old walls! :)

Ha,Ha,You couldn't say that about much else!:nod:

[wsteve55]

Those walls will stay true for a very good number years but in the case of just walls they have no load bearing to make them move out of true.

Its a different kettle of fish when theres a load bearing imposed on same brick and mortar structure,for instance the old 120/130 year old 2 up 2 down houses,some of these house walls moved so badly ove the years that they bellied out and eventually just collapsed,its quite common as many back house walls at the back of where I'm living have gone that way and had to be rebuilt when I look out my back window I see 3 new extensions that have been built at sometime or other and even my own is slightly bellying out when I look at the house wall sideways.

I've even seen frontages of old house's completely fallen out using the brick& mortar of the Victorian age.

Load bearing plays a part in whether a high wall will withstand the test of time.

Just thinking about the walls you often see,on old pic's of tenement houses!These seem to be unusually high,blocking out most daylight,but seem to be built using the same technique i.e. very high,with no buttressing,and a single coarse of brick.but what do I know???:smirk: