living room paint colors with red brick fireplace
building a dry stack block wall withquikwall. building a garden wall, a planter, mailbox enclosure...or even an outdoorkitchen, can be as easy as stack and stucco withquikwall surface bonding cement. the construction process is quick andeasy for even the novice do-it-yourselfer with professional results. quikwallsurface bonding cement is a special fiberglass reinforced stuccothat is simply troweled over the surface of a dry stack block wall.
quikwall can create beautiful stuccowalls that are stronger and faster to build than traditional block and mortarconstruction. every block wall, whether structural or non-structural,requires a solid footing or slab as its base. high-strength quikrete 5000 is therecommended product for footing construction because of its highstrength and rapid strength gain. footings shouldbe a minimum of twice the width of the concrete block typical 8 x 8 x 16 block would require a 16 inch
wide footing. the footing depth should extend below thefrost line. it is important to check local building codes for constructionrequirements in your area. quikwall can besuccessfully mixed by hand or machine mixed. the size of yourproject will often determined which method you choose. hand mixing can be done in a mortar tub or wheelbarrow with a mixing hoe and is suited for small projects. whenworking with quikwall, rubber gloves and safety glasses shouldalways be worn during mixing and
placing procedures. each 50 pound bag of quikwall requiresabout a gallon of water. additional water can be added in smallamounts, to achieve a workable mix. adding liquid cement color to standardwhite or gray quikwall can add a decorative stucco finish. one 10 ounce bottle of quikrete liquid cement color will colorup to two bags of 50-pound quikwall. to achieve a consistent color throughoutthe mix, the liquid cement color should beblended into the mixing water before adding it to the mix.
using the same water to color ratio willhelp maintain color uniformity from batch to batch. this is especially important whenworking on large areas. the proper consistency is achieved whenthe wet quikwall will hang on a trowel held at a ninety degree angle. to get started, it is important to stage thefirst course of block. snap a chalk line on each side of theblock wall as a reference line to ensure thecorners are square and the wall is straight.
then, remove the block and lay a one-eighthinch bed of quikwall on the footing. this will not only bondyour wall to the footing, it will also keep the first course levelif there are slight imperfections in the concrete footing. the quikwall mix should be workablebut firm enough to support the weight of the first course. because there are no mortar joints in thisconstruction technique, the first course of block will determinehow level and square the wall will be. now, set your bottom course. check youralignment
and level every third to fourth block. onceyour first course is set, dry stack the remaining block in a runningbond pattern to the desired height. all corners should use an interlockingpattern. before applying quikwall, thoroughly dampen the block wall withwater. dry block will draw the water from the mix, making it difficult to finish and cancause inconsistent color and cracking, especially in hot temperatures. then, apply a consistent one eighth toone-quarter inch coat of quikwall to both sides of the block.
use a square finishing trowel held at a45 degree angle and work from the bottom of the wall to the top.popular textures such as heavy lace, light lace, dash and smooth finishes are easy to achieve with a littlepractice. it is recommended that you check your quikwall color and practice your texturing technique ona block or a sheet of cement board, prior to attempting to finish a largewall. one 50 pound bag of quikwall will cover approximately 50 square feetat one-eighth inch thick. the coverage may vary, based on thetexture and thickness
of the quikwall application. once your wall is completed, water cure the entire surface with afine water mist. this is especially important for colorconsistency and to prevent surface cracking.