Building A Rock Retaining Wall With Mortar

Stone walls also look better with age.

Building a rock retaining wall with mortar.

When you mortar the capstones do not finish the joints. 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. After spreading the mortar but before laying the next stone use the trowel edge to cut the mortar even with wall face.

Dry stone walls are methodically stacked rock structures that can be damaged by people animals and weather. Prepare the footing photo by russell kaye. Higher walls should be engineered for stability. Ask a stone yard to help determine how much material you ll need and have it delivered as close to the site as possible.

They can be stacked without mortar but this requires stacking them just so. 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. 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. 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.

Cap the wall with a course of flat stones large enough to cover both wythes. A stone wall can give your garden timeless appeal. Building a retaining wall is suitable for diyers as long as the wall is a maximum of 3 feet tall in most areas. This prevents mortar from running down the face of the wall.

How to build a rock wall 1. When the mortar begins to set up stop laying stone and finish the joints. 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. Dig a trench that s below the frost line and 2 feet wider than.

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. Once built you ll have a rock solid retaining wall without all the heavy mortar lines. A river rock wall adds character to any landscape and will help define property lines.