The easiest way to build a stone retaining wall is to use the dry stack method that requires no mortar between stones and does not need a concrete footing like mortared walls do.
Building a rock wall with mortar.
Ask a stone yard to help determine how much material you ll need and have it delivered as close to the site as possible.
The key to building a wall using mortar is when you apply the mortar it needs to go evenly onto the run of stones that are set.
Wipe any excess mortar from the rocks.
New videos added march 2018 much more detail in the masonry playlist at https.
If you re building a retaining wall use a blended mason mix which includes the heavy duty mortar type s masonry cement and graded sand.
It must be deeper than the frost line or at least 12 inches deep for a 3 foot high wall.
Tamp the gravel in the bottom of the trench and pour at least 8 inches of concrete.
Dig a trench about 6 inches wider than your wall.
Building a retaining wall is suitable for diyers as long as the wall is a maximum of 3 feet tall in most areas.
How to build a rock wall 1.
This is also ideal for stone columns.
Anything taller should be handled by professionals.
Place the top stones as the last layer of rock taking care to make the top of the wall as flat as possible.
Apply mortar to seal in the top stones.
A mortar wall must be built on a firm foundation or its joints will crack.
Dig a trench that s below the frost line and 2 feet wider than the wall.
Select flat rocks that are flat on one side to be top stones.
Prepare the footing photo by russell kaye.
For projects that don t require a lot of mortar use smaller bags of mortar mix or concrete.
Continue in this way so that eventually the pier formwork is full of stone some of it poking up above the formwork so that there will be no obvious course in the wall.
Once built you ll have a rock solid retaining wall without all the heavy mortar lines.
Fill in with mortar any gaps between the rocks on the inside of the wall so that there is no air inside the rock wall whatsoever.
This is high strength contractor grade and pre blended mortar.