Replies

1. 
   Piffin | Jul 05, 2002 05:33am | #1

   Inside or outside?

   Excellence is its own reward!
1. 
   rickwainman | Jul 05, 2002 05:38am | #2

   Sorry, I should have said. It's outside. There is a footing I have easy access to for support on the bottom course. The cinder blocks are covered with a bonding cement/fiberglass mix. I only need to cover about 4 feet high, but I don't want to have to drill into the blocks a million times. Thanks again.

1. 
   DaveRicheson | Jul 05, 2002 03:03pm | #3

   Brick is not normally bonded to the face of cinder or concrete block. It is layed up in front of the block with a small air spce between the back of the brick and the face of the block. Normal tie points are brick ties runnig from the block to the bed mortar joint of the brick. I use 24 inch horizontal spacing and 16 inch vertical spacing for brick tie placement.

   As far as not wanting to drill the block a million times, sometimes you just have to "bite the bullet" to do a job right. Go to your brick yard, buy the ties and a couple of boxes of Tapcons. Also think about your flashing detail at the top of your 4 foot veneered wall and weep holes at the bottom course if this is an exterior application.

   Dave

1. 
   rickwainman | Jul 05, 2002 04:51pm | #4

   Dave,

   Thanks for the excellent info. Being originally from Missouri, I always wonder why? In this case, why is brick not normally bonded to a cinder/cement block wall? Is it because it doesn't hold, it takes too long, is too difficult to keep level, what? Also appreciate the spacing info you gave for the brick ties, that doesn't sound like such a big job now. Gracias, senor!

1. 
   DaveRicheson | Jul 05, 2002 06:22pm | #5

   Brick is a porous material and water will eventualy seep through it. the space behind the brick acts as part of the drainage plain for the water that does get behind it, thus the reason for the weep holes at the head joint in the bottom course of brick. In standard construction there is also a flashing that forms an L shape at the bottom. On block most mason are now using a self adhesive flashing that looks like the "ice shield" used in roofing. the first course of brick is layed up on this membrain, and any water that run down the back side of the brick hits it and runs our through the weep holes. I space the weep holes 3 to 4 feet apart by raking out the head joint of the brick closest to either measurement. If you don't like the look of the open head joints, there is a small plastic or aluminum vent available to insert at each weep hole. These vents can also be used under and over windows, doors and at the top course to provide ventilation of the drainage plain. One architect I worked for spected them on every brick veneer job to prevent efforvessents from occurring. Lots of different oppinions on controling that problem, but he swore by those little vents.

   Brick is pretty heavy, so trying to use it like a tile would be tough. They do make a thin brick or stone that can be applied like a tlie, but using it involves attaching a metal lath to the block, followed by a scratch coat of mud and then buttering the back of each brick and sticking it to the wall. The joints are then grouted similar to tile, only much more tediously, because you can't wash off any excess grout.

   I mentioned some type of flashing or cap for the top of your four foot veneer. This is an important detail, because it keeps water from getting behind the brick every time it rains. I like a metal flashing cut into a reglet that is even with where the top soilder course or cap stone will land. The flashing is almost a Z shape with the cap sitting on the bottom leg of the Z (kind of straightened out to look like a step).

   By the way, as a diclaimer, I am not a mason. I am like a few other old dogs here in that I have knocked around construction for almost 30 years, and learned a little about a lot, so head some of the others advice here as well.

   Dave

2. 
   Piffin | Jul 06, 2002 06:03am | #6

   I'm not sure about the reason for this brick face but since you call it a foundation wall, that tells me that if you were to do the customary thing and lay the brick with the drainage plane, your wall face will be well outside the finish of the house wall, requireing special attention to flashings. Also setting the Tapcons into a block wall that is otherwise apparantly wetproofed with some sort of parge coat could provide water with additional points of entry. Therefore, if this is for appearance only, I would consider using face brick or slimbricks and installing them like tile to the block wall by backbuttering with the adhesive and pointing the joints with a flux brush. You would then need to use a clear masonry sealer on the wall.

   Excellence is its own reward!