Soldier Course: Word of the Week

Gray Brick

A soldier course is a row of bricks laid vertically with the long narrow side of the brick exposed. You’ll often see the soldier course around a door or window as way to accentuate the trim and define the transition between wall and opening. Or it can act as the transition between two materials, as seen in the picture.

Read More

Mortar : Our Word of the Week

Mortar

Mortar – Mortar is a workable paste used to bind building blocks, like brick and stone, together. Mortar is also used to fill and seal the irregular gaps between the building blocks. Sometimes the mortar can be used to add decorative color and textural patterns in masonry walls. In the broadest sense of the term,…

Read More

Homebuilding – Real Material Samples Are a Must

Stone

In homebuilding, picking out the right materials can be a little tricky. I talked yesterday about the value of painting out larger samples of your wall and trim paint selections to verify that the colors were right. The same principles applies to the other materials you plan to use. Don’t pick bricks from a photo…

Read More

Brick Masonry Artistry

Mason Artist

I love well done Brick Masonry. “God is in the details.” So said Gustave Flaubert and later, and arguably more famously, said architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Regardless of the origin of the famous phrase, it is undeniably true. A good house, or any other structure for that matter, must have good “bones.” The…

Read More

Brick Mortar Is Important

Brick Mortar

Here’s a discussion that came up today on one of my projects. We were making a brick selection for the exterior of the house. The brick companies readily provide sample boards that have thin pieces of actual bricks, not just photos, for you to see. That’s very helpful, but the problem is that the cardboard…

Read More