DIY Network

Round Stone Planting Wall: Finishing the Wall/Capping From "Rock Solid" episode DROC-111

With the highest section of your wall finished, build the rest of the wall to the same height. (Instructions for building up the wall, below.)

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	Before: rustic railroad ties are unattractive -- and do nothing to show off the garden.
	After: a handsome curved stone wall captures the spirit of New England and spruces up the space!

Materials:

Wood stakes
Landscaping rake
Shovel
Mud shovel
Sledge hammer (optional: pick hammer)
Pick hammer
Crowbar
Stone hammer
Chipping hammer
Chisel
Trowel
Safety glasses
String
Line or marker spray paint
Paint brushes
Levels - bullet, 2' and 4'
Jointers
Hand brush
5 gallon buckets
Pruning shears
Wooden stakes
Measuring tape
Wheelbarrow
Mixing hoe
Mortar mixer (rented)
Gravel mix concrete
Rebar
Palletized round fieldstone (a mix of small and medium pallets)
Mason sand
Mortar (any type)
Type II Portland Cement
3/4" crushed stone

Figure A

It can be difficult to get your wall to an even and level height, but Dean and Derek have a special trick to ensure that all the capstones are the same height -- they run a string between stakes at the capstone height of the wall. Make sure that the line is level by hitting it with a bullet level or running a line level across it.

1. First, build up stone to the capstone string (figure A).

A couple of pointers:

• When you set stone on top of other stone, cushion that joint and secure the stones with a layer of mortar. Set the mortar slightly back from the face of the stone using a trowel. If a stone wobbles, add a stone "shim" to secure it.

• Shape or split stones using a chipping hammer or stone hammer and chisel.

• Continue to throw junk behind the wall. The junk should be widest at the base of the wall and taper in towards the face of the wall until it is the width of the back cap -- for this project the wall with junk was about 18 inches wide at the base and tapered to 16 inches (the width of the cap).

• If a stone is slightly below the capstone height, set a small flat stone beneath it to raise its height and avoid a large mortar joint. Not every stone has to be round -- a few small flat stones here and there will save you time and effort.

• Don’t stress about having every cap perfectly meet the height of the capstone string -- it's a guideline, not a hard and fast rule. Just try to get them as close as you can.

• Level the cap stones from front to back and side to side as you set them.

	Figure B
	Figure C

2. Once you’ve set the last face cap, remove the string and work on the back cap. The width of the entire cap for this project is 16" (figure B). Piece the back cap together -- combined with the front cap, there should be a variety of shapes and sizes of stones which will create a zigzagged (and visually appealing) mortar joint. As you piece the cap together, continuously check for level and a consistent width.

3. Finish the cap by filling the joints with mortar (mortar should have a slightly sticky consistency that is easily molded into a ball). Use a trowel and a jointer to pack the joints until they are slightly recessed (figure C). Smooth the mortared joints by brushing them with a cheap paintbrush.

4. Remove excess mortar from the joints on the face of the wall -- this step should be done after the mortar has set up a bit, but before it dries. Dig out the mortar with your jointer until it is uniformly recessed about 1-2 inches -- this creates the illusion that the wall is dry stacked (held together without mortar or cement). Smooth the joints with a paintbrush -- after the joints have been uniformly recessed.