How to Build a Dry-Stack Concrete Block Wall

Ditch the mortar by using Sakrete Surface Bonding Cement to build a dry-stack masonry wall

Step by step instructions for building a free-standing concrete block wall suitable for painting

Materials list:

• Sakrete surface bonding cement
• Clean water
• 5-Gallon bucket
• Paddle mixer
• Finishing trowel
• Mortar pan

Step by step Instructions:

• Construct a sound, level footing
• Lay a mortar bed for the first course of block. Use surface-bonding cement for the mortar bed to save on product
• Dry stack blocks in running bond pattern
• Wet the wall to ensure proper adhesion
• Mix surface bonding cement to a creamy consistency
• Spread the material from bottom to top using an arcing motion
• Apply between 1/8-inch and 1/2-inch of material to all sides of the wall
•  

Protect from freezing for 48 hours, the wall will be ready to paint in seven days, and it will achieve full strength of 5,000 psi in 28 days.

—This video is provided by Sakrete, one of ProTradeCraft's advertisers. A leader in concrete and concrete-related products for 80 years, Sakrete led the way for premixed bagged concrete and was the first company to provide concrete specified for strength, not proportion, which continues today. View all of Sakrete's content