A mason uses several types of rules to measure their work, commonly though, two basic specialized rules apply. The Mason Rule and the Modular Rule are designed to work with building materials found today as well as in the past to provide speed in laying out the required spacing to construct the walls. First, all More Info »
Expansion Joints are common practice for an architect to detail on drawings and a contractor to install, however, many people who have careers in the masonry field still do not understand the joint completely. An expansion joint is a vertical joint placed in the masonry veneer and brick related wythes. This joint will allow movement More Info »
I ran the MCAA’s Fastest Trowel Contest in Las Vegas for many years, and judging the competitions required accuracy and consistency. This is the type of measuring device used by masonry contest judges to determine scores at the masonry competition. This scale can be used in conjunction with a mason’s level to determine plumb and More Info »
Movement found at intersecting walls has always been a concern for contractors and design professionals. Early in my career, intersecting concrete masonry walls would commonly just be toothed together with little or no ability to handle the differential movement. This method allowed for the creation of new cracks and small chips from the concrete masonry More Info »
Question: In a window lintel situation….does the brick course that sits directly on the flashing get mortared in? If so, doesn’t it throw off the alignment of subsequent courses above due to the thickness of the flashing as well as the mortar bed? Answer: Yes and No. Anytime you have a window lintel you have More Info »
Recently, Greg Skyta (Project Coordinator), Jerry Combs (Director of Sales, Mortar Net USA, LTD) and I were traveling to dinner and passed a building that did not use WallNet behind the EIFS Veneer. This failure could have been prevented if the design team had considered the breathability of the wall system and used WallNet prior More Info »
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