How to Add a Brick Facade Exterior to Your House
- 1). Strip the wall down to its wood sheathing. Remove all old siding and inspect the sheathing for any signs of damage. Repair or replace any bad sheathing; make sure no nails or other fasteners are left. Clean the wall to remove any remaining debris. Check for a concrete base at the bottom of the wall, which is normally poured as part of the foundation.
- 2). Prepare a solid foundation, if no concrete base is present. Bolt corrosion-resistant steel angle plates to the existing foundation or pour new concrete. Tie the base firmly into the existing house foundation, with the top a few inches above ground level. Dig a trench four inches wide and six inches deep the length of the wall to make a concrete base. Put two inches of gravel in the base and tamp it firm and then pour in concrete. Use a mason's trowel and a level to level the base. Let the concrete cure a week before proceeding.
- 3). Install a moisture barrier, such as tar paper, on the wall; fasten it to the sheathing about every six inches with a construction stapler. Put metal flashing over a concrete base. Spread 1/2-inch of mortar on the base and push the flashing down into it. Install flashing around any windows or doors; nail this in place with a hammer and shingle nails.
- 4). Spread an inch of mortar over the base with a mason's trowel and set the first course of bricks into it, adding mortar to the ends for vertical joints. Tap bricks into place with the handle of the trowel and use a level to make sure the line is level and straight along the wall. Install short lengths of small rubber hose in the vertical joints between bricks every 24 inches for "weep holes," to allow moisture to escape; remove the hose after the mortar has set.
- 5). Continue laying bricks in any desired pattern, checking continuously to keep the line level and straight. Install corrugated metal ties after the third course of bricks. Nail one end of a tie to the sheathing with a hammer and shingle nails and put the other end into a horizontal mortar joint. Space ties every 32 inches horizontally, about every other stud, and every 16 inches vertically. Stagger them so the tie connections in the façade do not align.
- 6). Work to the top of the wall. Cut bricks as needed with a mason's saw to fit around doors or windows. Use a "rowlock" pattern, with bricks set on edge with a two-inch face out, at the bottom of windows. Install steel lintels at the tops of windows or doors to support bricks above them; fasten lintels into mortar joints on each side of the opening.
- 7). Finish mortar joints with a steel finishing tool, which has a convex end. Push the end into the mortar to form it into a concave shape which will resist water. Finish joints before mortar starts to set, probably every course or two, depending on the length of the wall. Scrape off any excess mortar pushed out of the joint.
Source...