[A_Wiseman_Once_Said]

Hi, first time poster. I'm in the middle of building a breeze block wall to enclose my patio (whoxh is really just an extension of my foundation that is 21" to the ground and a minor falling hazard). After a lot of forums and YouTube I decided to use Quickcrete mortar as the base to stick the blocks to the foundation and heavy duty adhesive between every face of every block. I didn't think I was up for mortaring each joint since I've never used it (this is my first "masonry" project). I used mortar really to get the blocks as level and plumb as I could so to account for unevenness of the foundation and make the blocks sit a little more neatly. I figured a long stretch of breeze blocks alone would not be very sturdy so I put columns every 6ft that are cinderblocks I adhered together and I was going to pour concrete in them to make them even sturdier.

So far I'm liking the way it looks and as the mortar and adhesive dry it is feeling pretty sturdy as I try to move it. I'm just curious about a few things:

Was this a bad idea? Will this not hold up over time without mortar joints and rebar? I figured I could get by with this approach since the wall is only 3ft and "mostly" decorative. It's structural in a sense but no one will be standing on it and it's not holding anything else up.

Do I need to do anything to the mortar to help it cure properly? It may be too late (I did the first section of wall 4-5 days ago and I have one more section to go).

Do I need to take more steps to fill in any small cracks between the blocks? Squeezing some kind of sealant in there or painting over everything with a sealant? If I don't do this will the wall come apart?

I think that's it. I just got nervous about my plan half way through that I'm doing something stupid that isn't going to last. And I'll have hauled 1500 lbs of masonry units by hand into my backyard for nothing and be out $700 (plus a huge mess to clean up).

I liked this approach because it was cheaper than other railing solutions I found (3k for parts alone for a custom cable rail solution). I also opted to save 1k and do this install myself since I have more time than money right now.

I'm open to any advice. Thanks!

 

[A_Wiseman_Once_Said]

Thanks for your responses, even if they're not encouraging, ha. I'm posting mid-project because I started to have second thoughts after getting started or worried I was missing something I could still fix.

There's no rebar. I could have done some in the cinder columns, but too late for that now. And rebar between the breeze blocks requires mortar (and skill).

I had read that for walls that are 3ft and under, I could eek by without rebar and with adhesive. Maybe a totally freestanding one would need the reinforcement, but I was hoping the concrete columns would provide some extra stability. What do I know though, I'm just a DIY weekend guy.

Posts like this encouraged me to try adhesive as the main ingredient since the wall is 3ft

Masonry Adhesive vs Mortar Which One is Better

Masonry Adhesive vs Mortar, if you're on this page you probably want to know the difference or looking to decide which one is right for your home or project

chicagobrickco.com

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From what I gathered, adhesive is a modern approach with pros and cons. The pros include ease of use, jointless block connection look (which I really like actually), and from what I read, the bonds in these newer polyurethane adhesives are stronger than mortar (after watching a YouTube about ranking the various construction adhesives, I opted for Loctite PL premium and Gorilla Glue Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive. The cons are greater cost, more difficulty leveling, opportunity for gaps between blocks less traditional, tried, true and tested, etc.

I just didn't think I could do a good job attempting rebar and mortar in the joints and have it look nice so I went ahead with my plan. I'm telling you, it feels sturdy as heck right now. I'm just not sure how it will hold up over time. I'll be alright if it fails, mostly just upset about the wasted time and energy (it has been really hot and in full sun installing this over 2-3 days).

Anyway, thanks for the input, it's appreciated.

 

[A_Wiseman_Once_Said]

The columns do help your situation. It would be greatly improved with rebar embedded in the concrete within the columns and then grout (fill) the entire column.

Anticipating failure is due to the unknown life of the adhesive.

Check the adhesive stability in the spring and autumn. Any miniscule weakness should should be remedied as it occurs.

You did a neat job and have pics for future repair reference.

Assume the best. Be watchful for problems and do not postpone any needed repairs.

Keep us posted on how it endures. You may end up teaching us all.

Great advice, I really appreciate it.

Believe it or not I've never used rebar either. I assume in order for it to be effective, it needs to go into the foundation, and quite a ways. They don't do anything just loose in there, I would think. I can still get into the top of the columns to fill with concrete but I don't think I'd be able to drill from 4ft anice unless there's some tool I don't know about.

I have been building this thing in a vacuum without much input from anyone besides blogposts and YouTube. This forum is great, wish I had found it sooner. Thanks again, I will report back. I left town for the weekend, hoping it's still standing when I get back!

 

[A_Wiseman_Once_Said]

Looks good. Sitting on a solid slab, dont start to lose sleep over it now.

Thanks for your vote of confidence. I literally was losing sleep over it last night, ha. I even had a mortar-based stress dream. I'll be glad when this one's over, it's been all-consuming.

 

[A_Wiseman_Once_Said]

Not that I am suggesting you to do so, but if you are determined to add rebars to the hollow column you can still do it kind of.

You can take a angle grinder and remove one side of one column block may be the second one from the bottom. Then use a rotary hammer drill with an 18" long masonry bit drill at an angle from the open end 12" into the concrete foundation. Pre-bend the rebar to compensate for the angular drilling, inject epoxy into the hole after blowing dust out of it with compressed air, lower the rebar from the top of the column down until it slides into the hole(s) at the drill angle. Form a piece of wood to cover the open end then fill with construction grout.

I was actually just looking into how I might do this, researching extra long masonry bits. This seems like a better idea and I just got an angle grinder a few days ago. Thank you!

 

[A_Wiseman_Once_Said]

Not that I am suggesting you to do so, but if you are determined to add rebars to the hollow column you can still do it kind of.

You can take a angle grinder and remove one side of one column block may be the second one from the bottom. Then use a rotary hammer drill with an 18" long masonry bit drill at an angle from the open end 12" into the concrete foundation. Pre-bend the rebar to compensate for the angular drilling, inject epoxy into the hole after blowing dust out of it with compressed air, lower the rebar from the top of the column down until it slides into the hole(s) at the drill angle. Form a piece of wood to cover the open end then fill with construction grout.

BTW do you know, would a cinder column like that mortared to the ground and filled with concrete or grout fill not be doing much of anything if it doesn't have rebar? Is it just worthless without it? Since the breezeblocks are only 3.5" wide and don't provide much contact with the ground, I figured the wider set 7.5" cinder columns would provide a little more stability to support the breeze blocks. But if mortar and fill aren't enough to provide support than I have problems unless I try something like you mentioned (I also haven't built the last column yet so I could at least rebar that one)

 

[A_Wiseman_Once_Said]

I think it looks great, good job. I wouldn't drill or cut anything on that wall, you might knock it all loose. If you can pop the brick off of the columns, then fill it with mortar or concrete, that would help, but it would probably hold up well without it. Plus if you fill those cores, it might make it difficult to reuse the block if a repair needs to be done later.

Glue holds masonry incredible well, I use glue instead of mortar if I'm replacing a brick paver or stone on a sidewalk, patio, or retaining wall cap. I glue it in place, then mortar around it. Mortar used in the standard way helps keep water out of the masonry, because if it freezes, the masonry will get wrecked.

Just be careful around it, try to lean to hard against it, it might last for years.
What king of climate are you in?

Thanks for the advice, that's helpful. I haven't secured those pavers onto the columns yet, as I was planning to fill them with something. I bought some concrete but I learned on this forum that there is a different product from Quickcrete that is better for fill, so if I do it, I'll use that. I'm in central Texas so we're a bit all over the place but usually it's just humid and hot.