This document summarizes the process of constructing a brick wall. Key steps include laying a concrete foundation, attaching string as a guide for brick layers, applying mortar between bricks using a trowel, and smoothing plaster on the finished wall. Important materials include clay bricks, mortar made of cement, lime and sand, and a cement sand plaster. Tools used include trowels, hawks to hold plaster, spirit levels, and a concrete mixer to prepare mortar and plaster.

1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING &
DESIGN
BACHELOR OF QUANTITY SURVEYING (HONOURS)
MEASUREMENT I (QSB 60104)
CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY I (BLD 60104)
BUILDING MATERIALS (BLD 62003)
PROJECT VIDEO: BRICK WALL
NAME : NG SHENG ZHE
LECTURER : MS.AZRINA
SUBMISSION DATE : 12th JULY 2016

2. A) How a brick wall is constructed?
According to the first video, we can see the worker constructing a brick wall. A brick wall has
different types of bond and mortar joints. The main material for a brick wall is brick. Brick can be
made of clay, sand or concrete but the brick used in the video is clay brick. There are 3 varieties
of clay brick which are common, facing and engineering brick. Common brick is used in the
video as it is suitable for general building work without any special characteristics for an
attractive appearance. Common brick is the most widely used brick. It is also able to withstand
severe weathering for exposure to heavy rainfall and freezing.
Common brick
There are 2 types of brick which are the solid brick and brick with holes. The type of brick used
in the video is solid brick. Solid brick is often used because the holes may be unsightly. Solid
brick is also durable and fireproof.
Solid brick

3. There are different classes of bricks such as adobe, kiln-burned, sand lime and concrete
bricks. The classes of bricks used in the video is kiln-burned brick. It is made from natural sand
and clay or shale. Brick that is burned will become light and porous. Its strength will not reduce if
it is put into water. It is also considered as the most widely used brick.
Kiln-burned bricks

4. Bond is the arrangement of bricks in rows. Bond is used for appearance or to tie outer wall and
inner wall together. There are different types of brick bond such as English Bond, Flemish Bond,
Stretcher Bond and more. The bonding type used in the video is Stretcher Bond. It is the most
common bond used in construction. Stretcher Bond is often used for walls of half brick
thickness.
Stretcher Bond
Another material required to build the brick wall is mortar. Mortar is a paste used to bind
blocks together while filling the spaces between them. Mortar is composed of a mixture of
cement, hydrated lime, sand and water. The suitable type of cement for brick masonry mortar is
Portland cement as it works as a general purpose cement. The water to cement ratio is high in
making mortar as the mortar is used to hydrate the cement and hold the mixture together. It
functions as glue because it binds bricks together. When it is dry, it sets hard and prevent the
entry of air and moisture into the structure. It also shrinks very little, making it an ideal material
used to bind bricks. Besides, water should be added into the mortar mix to maintain
consistency. Mortar mix is advised to be used within 2 or 2 and a half hours or else it would be
completely dry and loses its binding properties.
Mortar Portland cement Hydrated lime Sand

5. There are several types of mortar joint such as flush, concave, weathered, extruded, recessed
joint and others. Although the most weatherproof & recommended type of joints are V-shaped,
weathered and concave joint, the worker in the video is using the flush joint as the mortar joint
looks flat. It is easy to form as they are formed without compacting the surface of the mortar.
Flush joint
The wall is plastered using cement sand plaster as seen in the third video. Cement sand
plaster requires at least seven days of water curing and 3 days drying. It is heavy and require
heavy labour process. It also has a high chance of shrinkage cracks.
Cement sand plaster

6. Method of constructing a brick wall :
First, dig out a trench as a foundation for the brick wall. Pour a layer of concrete to make the
foundation solid. The layer of concrete requires 2 to 3 days to dry and set. Put a piece of wood
beside the wall and attach a string to the wood to act as a guideline for the height of each layer
of bricks. Use a spirit level to make sure the wood is straight. Indicate the height of each layer of
bricks on the wood with a pen. Lay the first row of bricks on the foundation with suitable amount
of mortar applied. There is a ½ inches of gap between 2 bricks for mortar to fill in. For the last
brick, use the back end of a claw hammer to cut the brick into suitable size to fit in the row.
Make sure the bricks are straight by using a spirit level. Put another piece of wood on the other
side of the wall and connect the string from the first wood to another wood. Make sure the string
is tight to assure that the string line is straight. Before laying the next row of bricks, pull up the
string to the second indication on the wood. Apply a layer of mortar on the first row of bricks and
lay the second row of bricks above the mortar. Scrape away the excess mortar between the
bricks to create flush joint. Repeat the same steps until it reaches the desired height of brick
wall.
Next, prepare cement, sand and water as material for plastering the wall. Pour half a bucket of
water into the concrete mixer and continue with pouring cement and sand into it. Continue
adding water while the concrete mixer is stirring. When the cement sand plaster is done, pour it
into a bucket and bring to the brick wall. Transfer a small amount of the plaster into a hawk and
spread it on the wall using a finishing trowel. Smoothen the wall with the first layer of plaster and
continue to add more plaster. Let the plaster dry until it is harder. Use a wet finishing trowel to
moisten the plaster and continue to smoothen it. Leave the plaster for 1 and a half hour but
make sure it is still wet. Lastly, continue smoothen the plaster and let it dries completely.

7. B) What are the tools and equipment involved in constructing a brick wall?
Tools :
- A margin trowel is used to spread mortar. The handle is made of wood. It is suitable to be used
in areas that are too small for some of the other trowels to fit.
Margin trowel
- A cement bucket is used to fill mortar.
Cement bucket
- Finishing trowel is used to plaster the wall. It is also used to smoothen the plaster on the wall.
Finishing trowel

8. - A hawk is used to hold a portion of cement plaster temporarily so that the worker can get the
cement plaster quickly to apply to the wall.
Hawk
- Wheelbarrow is used to carry mortar or cement sand plaster.
Wheelbarrow
- Square mouth shovel is used to move mortar into wheelbarrow.
Square mouth shovel

9. - Spirit level is required to make sure the row of bricks is straight while making a brick wall.
Spirit level
- The back end of a claw hammer is used to cut brick into suitable size.
Claw hammer

10. Equipment :
- Concrete mixer is also known as cement mixer. Its function is to mix cement, sand and water
to create mortar or cement sand plaster. It is used to give convenience to the workers so that
the workers do not have to stir the mixture by themselves. It is heavy but it is suitable to be used
on construction site. It also provides enough time for the use the mortar or cement sand plaster
before they hardens.
Concrete mixer/ cement mixer

11. Conclusion :
From this project, I have learnt how to how to create a brick wall. I have learnt that there are
different bonds for brick wall such as English Bong, Flemish Bong, Stretcher Bond and more.
Besides, I learn about the material to construct a brick wall such as bricks and mortar. I can also
differentiate different types and varieties of bricks now through this project. Through some
research online, I gain more knowledge about these materials. Furthermore, I know what tools
and equipment are required during the construction of brick wall. For example, I learn that trowel
is used to spread mortar while finishing trowel is used for plastering. Next, I want to thank my
lecturers from different subjects for teaching us about the content in the project so that we can
complete this project fast and efficient. Without their help, I would have a lot of questions while
completing this project. As a conclusion, this is a good project as it teaches us how to observe
and apply in real life.