Dry stone walls are built without mortar using techniques that are almost as old as humankind.
Building dry stone walls do it yourself.
Although that sounds simple and in many ways it is building dry stone walls is not without challenges.
The easiest way to build a stone retaining wall is to use the dry stack method that requires no mortar between stones and does not need a concrete footing like mortared walls do dry stack walls also drain well allowing water to pass through the wall itself.
Remove the stone spread a trowelful of mortar on the wall and tamp the stone into it with a mallet.
Stone wall construction is like fitting together a giant three.
Take time to choose and place your stones carefully.
The 5 basic rules for how to build dry stone walls to get this article in a handy pdf click here.
Learning how to build a dry stone wall takes a little bit of time muscle and some trial and error but the beauty that results from building with natural stone and your own two hands is second to.
Much like building a brick wall you finish off a substantial part of each horizontal layer before moving up to the next one.
Fortunately building one is easy enough that you can do it yourself.
This prevents mortar from running down the face of the wall.
Dry stack rock or rubble stone walls add a great touch to flowerbeds and landscape projects.
The face stones visible edges should rest only on stone not mortar so scrape away any mortar that squeezes out.
The 5 rules below are applicable in nearly all dry stone projects.
Building dry stone walls is an ancient practice providing a practical solution to making terraces and raised garden beds or shoring up slopes.
While it takes a great deal of skill to build a near perfect wall building a good strong wall is within the reach of most people who like do it your self projects.
Dry fit each stone first to see that the vertical joints are staggered and the outside faces just touch the line.
There s beauty to creating a wall from a pile of stones and knowing if done right it will stand the test of time.
Dry stone walls take a very long time to build if you do it properly and it s time that s well spent.
The key to building a wall using mortar is when you apply the mortar it needs to go evenly onto the run of stones that are set.
The natural finish of the stones visually complements most landscapes.