Dry Stack Block Retaining Wall

This will aid in the adhesion of the material to the block and will also eliminate the otherwise dry.
Dry stack block retaining wall. Step 7 thoroughly dampen the block wall with water dry block will draw the water from the mix making it difficult to finish and can cause inconsistent color and cracking especially in. As with a concrete block wall build a firm gravel base and ensure good drainage. Throughout the block stacking phase and at the completion check that the wall has remained level. They weigh 40 to 100 lbs.
You don t need mortar with a stone retaining wall. Use a hand or power tamper to level the base. Simply stack them in rows or mix heights within a row for a random look. Remember to stack the blocks so that the vertical joints stager.
A dry stack wall is a block wall that doesn t need mortar to hold it together. Typical applications for mortarless concrete masonry include basement walls foundation walls retaining walls exterior above grade walls internal bearing walls and partitions. Wide and at several lengths and heights. Dry stack walls are best used when building a dividing wall or any wall that will not contain doors or windows like a retaining wall or wall around a trash can or ac unit.
Before applying the surface bonding cement dampen the surface of the block. I am going to build a retaining wall that is going to be 3 5 feet in height how far should the gravel go back and will 4 inch slotted tubing with cover for the drain be a good enough for the drain. Incidental water moves easily through a vertical drain that is formed by the layer of wall rock placed behind the block and in the block cores. You will need some mortar to create a solid foundation for your wall but we ll cover that later.
Excavate to a depth of 6 inches along the entire base of the stone retaining wall using the string marker as a guide. The hollow core design combines with mortarless construction to allow water to drain freely from behind the segmental retaining wall. The dry stack construction technique allows the incidental water to escape by flowing around the blocks and out the. Anyone with a strong back can stack up a bunch of blocks and build a pretty retaining wall.
But it takes skill and planning to construct an attractive wall that can also handle immense pressure shrug off the forces of gravity stand for decades and laugh in the face of mother nature. For dry stack walls the base should be as wide as the wall is tall. The blocks i was thinking of using are the 57 pound block size is 16 inch in length and 12 inches in depth and 6 inches in height. Once the first course is set dry stack the remaining block in a running bond pattern to the desired height all corners should use an interlocking pattern.