How to Build Stone Walls
Stone walls may seem to lack a lot of structure, but a skilled builder can make them quite strong. It's important to follow a few rules.
Hearting, or tie, stones should straddle the wall at regular intervals to hold it together and stop it from bellying out. Special pieces of rock are used as through, or cover, stones.
Preparation
Having the right tools and knowing how to use them is important for stone walling. A shovel, pick axe and pry bar are the main tools but small hammers such as a walling hammer (also called a mini sledge hammer or rock hammer) are also used to tap stones and shims into place.
The most important preparation is to select good sized, well-shaped stones for the face of the wall and then separate the remaining stones into piles based on their difficulty. Poorly shaped stones are best smashed up into hearting, the flat material placed behind the face of the wall. This prevents movement of the stone and makes the wall stronger.
Digging the Trench
Once your base is in place begin installing the first course of stone. The base course is important because it creates a foundation for your wall and keeps the structure stable as it's built up.
Start with the largest stones and work up from there, stepping back a little bit every three feet or so to achieve a two inch per foot lean. It's also helpful to periodically lay a long bondstone that spans front and back wythes of the wall, this ties the wall together and provides stability.
At regular intervals lay 'through stones', these are large, flat rocks that extend the width of your wall and lock in the next row. Fill in any gaps with smaller stones called hearting.
Laying the First Course
When the footing is ready, start laying the first course of stones. It's important that the largest stones are placed at the bottom of the wall so that they form a solid foundation. This also helps to make the walls sturdier.
As you build the courses, be sure to pack the center with small stones or "hearting." These help support and stabilize the wall as it gets taller.
When setting stones, try to line up the outer bumps (or faces) of each stone with a string line as you go. This helps the wall to be even and looks more attractive. It's important to use the batter for each section of wall, too.
Filling the Trench with Gravel
The first course of a stone wall is the foundation and also provides the necessary strength for the rest of the structure. It consists of the widest and heaviest stones. Unusual shapes can be mixed in to create a more rugged look, but overall consistency is important for a durable and attractive wall.
Each stone should sit on two other stones, but where this is not possible a rock wall must be strong enough to stand on its own. This is achieved by using solid angular shaped hearting stones, placed as the wall is built.
Throughstones (also known as leg stones) at regular intervals straddle the wall and hold it together to prevent it from bellying out or collapsing. They also pin the upper courses of the wall.
Selecting the Stones
Sort the rock you’ll be using for the wall into piles based on size. Ensure that you have enough wide, pretty rocks for the base and a few large stones set aside to make up the capstone (the top of the wall). Make sure your courses narrow slightly toward the back of the wall (batter) as you go up, this helps hold the walls together.
Also install pinning, hearting and through stones (tie stones) at the base. Use string lines to keep an even plane for the face of the wall and line up the outer bumps on each stone. This eliminates vertical seams that weaken the wall.
Setting the Top Stones
Once the face stones are laid, it's time to start on the next course. When doing so, try to offset (or stagger) the joints with those in the first course. This helps eliminate vertical seams which weaken the wall.
Every few feet you should add a deadman stone, a long rock that extends back into the slope behind the wall. This effectively anchors the wall into the earth and makes it much more stable.
In many places, the top of a stone wall is finished with large capstones, called coping stones or copes. These prevent the wall from falling apart and can be quite decorative.
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Stone walls may seem to lack a lot of structure, but a skilled builder can make them quite strong. It's important to follow a few rules. Hearting, or tie, stones should straddle the wall at regular intervals to hold it together and stop it from bellying out. Special pieces of rock are used as through,…
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