DIY Network

Brick Barbecue: Laying the Bricks Brick Barbecue: Laying the Bricks From "Fire Up the Grill" episode DFUG-105

After the concrete pad has dried for 48 hours, Scott and Susan are ready to begin laying brick. The couple lays one course of brick in a dry-run of the plans, then they mix the mortar and get started! With the help of expert mason Bryan Light, they begin laying the first course of brick and then build up each course ....

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Materials:

525 solid bricks
5 bags mortar mix
20 bags sand
Mixing trough
Garden hoe
Shovel
Trowels
2 2"x2" mortar boards
Level
Carpenter's pencil
Hand brush
Brick hammer
Concave jointer
Barrel jointer
Framing square

Steps:

1. Lay the entire first course of the perimeter brick first. This will serve as a dry run, also called a dry bond, and will ensure that the brick barbecue fits on the concrete base (figure A). Mark around the edges of the barbecue using a carpenter's pencil.

2. In a large mixing trough, combine half the bag of mortar mix with two bags of sand. Thoroughly combine the dry ingredients, then push to one side of the trough. Add approximately two gallons of water to the trough, and slowly mix the mortar until the dry material is combined with the water. Continue adding water to the trough until the mortar has the consistency of soft-serve ice cream (figure B).

3. Wet the mortar boards with water (figure C), then add a couple of shovels full of mortar onto the boards (figure D).

4. Using a trowel, pull some of the mortar away from the pile and lay it in a cylinder on top of the mortar board (figure E). Slide the trowel underneath the mortar cylinder, then spread over the cement surface, just long enough to cover two bricks (figure F).

5. Using the pointed tip of the trowel, pull it down the center of the mortar, creating a feathered layer (figure G).

6. Lay the front corner brick first, directly on top of the feathered mortar. Continue laying brick from the front to the back, "buttering" the ends of each brick with mortar so that they stick together (figure H). Complete the entire first course of the perimeter before stacking the other courses on top.

7. When adding levels of brick, spread mortar on top of the brick, feather the mortar, then press until there's approximately 3/4" of mortar between each layer (figure I).

8. Every five courses of the barbecue should have grill-grate holders inserted in the mortar. Cut four small 5" pieces of rebar and place them inside the wet mortar, allowing them to dry within it; this will reinforce them so they're able to hold the weight of the grill grates (figures J and K).

9. When the mortar slightly hardens, use the concave jointer to clean the head joints (vertical joints) first, then clean the bed joints (horizontal joints). Rub the heel of the jointer over the mortar joints until it is smooth (figure L).

Final Recap and Notes:

• Most experts recommend laying a rough border of brick on the concrete pad before using any mortar; a common name for this border is a "dry bond."
  
• Mixing mortar requires a ratio of three parts mortar mix to one part sand.
  
• Perfect mortar should have the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
  
• If it starts to rain while bricks are exposed, cover them with plastic to prevent them from becoming too wet.

Note: Click here for downloadable, illustrated plans and instructions on the brick barbecue featured in this episode!