How to Build Brick and Stone Veneer Walls

Laying a Brick Veneer Wall
1. Install flashing over the footing to prevent water from seeping
behind the veneer. Copper, aluminum, lead, or roofing paper may be
used for this. Spread a ½" bed of mortar on top of the footing, then
push the flashing down firmly into it. (It is a good idea to install
flashing at the heads and sills of doors and windows as well.)
2. Cover the existing siding with a good sheathing material, such as
tarpaper. Always leave a 1"air space between the sheathing and the
veneer.
3. To lay the first course of bricks, use a trowel to spread a 1" - thick
bed of mortar on top of the flashing. Tap each brick into place with a
trowel handle; never pull on a brick, because this can break the bond.
Make sure that all the bricks are plumb and level.
4. To hold a veneer in place, nail galvanized metal wall ties through
the wall siding into the studs. Space the ties every 32" horizontally
and every 16" vertically, and offset the rows so that ties do not line
up.
5. Make weep holes, approximately 24" on center, in the vertical
joints of the first course of bricks. To form the weep holes, use short
lengths of rubber hose, which can be easily removed after the mortar
has set. The weep holes will act as a drainage system to allow any
water that may seep in around the flashing to escape.
6. Continue laying each course of bricks, being careful to maintain the
precise mortar joint thickness needed to obtain the desired wall