Correct Brick Laying and the "Bricky"

[Graham.]

Now you mention it, I remember reading the thread at the time, and also those "Bricky" adverts on those newfangled digital TV channels.

[harry]

Every book I've read says frog up. Every bricky I've seen working lays frogs down. It makes it easier to tap the bricks down (the cement displaced has somewhere to go.) Most modern bricks are extruded and have no frog, just holes.

The hardest thing about laying bricks is getting an even thickness bed of cement. That's where these gadgets come in. It's slow going but you get a better job as an amateur. And less messy cement down the sides of the bricks.

The other important thing is getting the consistency of the cement right.

And plasticiser is a big help. Using liquid soap/washing upliquid as a plasiticiser is apparently a bad idea.

[Surveyor]

and standard mortar quantities in party walls and alike situations. To Andy and To Graham My posting stated - ?If you have to have density for sound insulation then use a dense brick/block and standard mortar quantities in party walls and alike situations.? Clearly at the time of construction of Andy?s home - the architect ? designer- specification writer ? clerk of works; did not specify the party wall construction to reduce sound, or control the builder on site during construction as to what bricks/construction details are to be used for the party wall. Probably a pre 65 house, before standard building regulations part G, now part E. Responding to Graham ? The standard metric brick

215x102x65 is 1,435,450mm³ cubic millimetres, with three 40mm dia holes in the brick; 245,076mm³ clay is taken out. Thus giving the manufacturer an extra brick with the same quantity of clay after 6 bricks. That is 6 full bricks or 7Nr 3 holed bricks. A 18% clay saving per 3 holed brick. Compare this to the 20% saving of clay taken out on the 14Nr 20mm dia holes, giving 5 full bricks to 6 Nr 14 holed bricks. On the practical note of laying the two types of bricks the three hole brick is a pain loosing 25% mortar down the holes even though the three hole brick has a larger surface area than the 14 hole brick. The 14 hole brick has more support to the mortar as you spread the mortar with the point of your trowel through the sausage of mortar to form two rolls to bed the next brick on. A cut 14 hole brick is far better to use in quoining up at openings than a fragile cut 3 hole brick, that has one big mortar hole in it. Not to mention screw fixing your window or door frame to the large void of a 3 hole brick. In terms of Tuna, established brands once had over 150grams of ?dry? tuna in the tin now 112grams in the same tins. Thank goodness for budget shops and alternate brands of tuna using the whole larger size tins at a cheaper unit rate. Food for thought on getting rid of three hole bricks in favour of fourteen hole bricks. More profit for the manufacturers of 14 holes and faster laying on site with savings in mortar.

[Surveyor]

and standard mortar quantities in party walls and alike situations. To Andy and To Graham My posting stated - ?If you have to have density for sound insulation then use a dense brick/block and standard mortar quantities in party walls and alike situations.? Clearly at the time of construction of Andy?s home - the architect ? designer- specification writer ? clerk of works; did not specify the party wall construction to reduce sound, or control the builder on site during construction as to what bricks/construction details are to be used for the party wall. Probably a pre 65 house, before standard building regulations part G, now part E. Responding to Graham ? The standard metric brick

215x102x65 is 1,435,450mm³ cubic millimetres, with three 40mm dia holes in the brick; 245,076mm³ clay is taken out. Thus giving the manufacturer an extra brick with the same quantity of clay after 6 bricks. That is 6 full bricks or 7Nr 3 holed bricks. A 18% clay saving per 3 holed brick. Compare this to the 20% saving of clay taken out on the 14Nr 20mm dia holes, giving 5 full bricks to 6 Nr 14 holed bricks. On the practical note of laying the two types of bricks the three hole brick is a pain loosing 25% mortar down the holes even though the three hole brick has a larger surface area than the 14 hole brick. The 14 hole brick has more support to the mortar as you spread the mortar with the point of your trowel through the sausage of mortar to form two rolls to bed the next brick on. A cut 14 hole brick is far better to use in quoining up at openings than a fragile cut 3 hole brick, that has one big mortar hole in it. Not to mention screw fixing your window or door frame to the large void of a 3 hole brick. In terms of Tuna, established brands once had over 150grams of ?dry? tuna in the tin now 112grams in the same tins. Thank goodness for budget shops and alternate brands of tuna using the whole larger size tins at a cheaper unit rate. Food for thought on getting rid of three hole bricks in favour of fourteen hole bricks. More profit for the manufacturers of 14 holes and faster laying on site with savings in mortar.

[Andy Burns]

You did, but you followed that by saying

"floor joists front to back will send the transmitted impact sounds to the front or rear and not into your neighbours party wall."

as though you shouldn't need the extra density, when you do need it for non-impact sounds, their dog might as well be in my house, not theirs.

1973

In the lounge I've retrofitted some sound insulation (a stud wall with RW4 slabs, a sheet of barium loaded rubber and two layers of 15mm soundblock plasterboard - isolated from the existing walls/floor on rubber blocks) which helped, but I can't afford the space to do that in other rooms along the party wall, I probably will do something a little less in one of the bedrooms.