Building A Rock Retaining Wall With Mortar

After spreading the mortar but before laying the next stone use the trowel edge to cut the mortar even with wall face.

Building a rock retaining wall with mortar.

Cap the wall with a course of flat stones large enough to cover both wythes. Higher walls should be engineered for stability. Dig a trench that s below the frost line and 2 feet wider than. Building a retaining wall is suitable for diyers as long as the wall is a maximum of 3 feet tall in most areas.

Even if you don t plan to sit on your wall 3 feet is about as high as i would recommend building any dry stacked wall. This prevents mortar from running down the face of the wall. When you mortar the capstones do not finish the joints. The ideal height for a dry stacked retaining wall is 18 to 22 inches so you can sit on it when your gardening chores are done.

Prepare the footing photo by russell kaye. 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. Brush them flush with the surface of the capstones to keep water from collecting and freezing there it could split the mortar or the stone. A river rock wall adds character to any landscape and will help define property lines.

Once built you ll have a rock solid retaining wall without all the heavy mortar lines. 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. Ask a stone yard to help determine how much material you ll need and have it delivered as close to the site as possible. How to build a rock wall 1.

Constructing a wall is backbreaking work but the results will be a structure that will for last for generations. Using your stakes string and line level. Whether you re looking to build a wall for a raised garden or a small retaining wall a stacked stone wall can offer elegance without a lot of expense. They can be stacked without mortar but this requires stacking them just so.

When the mortar begins to set up stop laying stone and finish the joints. Stone walls also look better with age. A stone wall can give your garden timeless appeal.