Summary: Building steps leading down to your yard is not a project for a rookie. Building brick steps can be done in several ways. You can use the traditional brick and mortar or using interlocking concrete blocks, which require no mortar.
DEAR TIM: I need a package brick that takes me into a courtyard. I have no idea how to build brick steps, and I wonder if I could be out of my element. Is it difficult to build stairs brick of this type, especially those set in mortar? I have watched masons building brick steps (??????), and it seems that if I take my time, I might be able to succeed. What are the basic things you need to know to survive this project? Peter J., Lexington, KY
DEAR PETE: Building brick steps is not a project that you recommend for a novice. That does not mean they do not think you can do the job, means there are several skill sets needed for professional results, especially because you want to put the brick in cement mortar.
You can do this project interlocking concrete brick and mortar, if not not go. They are linked in the brick and down on a bed of compacted crushed rock and a thin layer of sand. Adhesives special outdoors can be used to connect the brick on the edge of a step at a brick then create vertical stripes. I have seen these systems, but I feel that produce the look you want.
There are two sets of nearly identical brick steps in my own home. I built them for almost twenty years, and they look so well today as the day ended. I especially thick 1.5-inch paving bricks that are designed to be placed horizontally in the floor. These paving bricks were fired in the kiln at a high temperature for a significant amount of time. This is why ice, snow and freezing countless thaw cycles have not deteriorated brick.
The best way to think of traditional brick package is to think of two sets of measures plastic windows. It is the set of brick stairs you see, and the bottom brick finished. Think of the brick as a front end only. If the first set of steps is constructed correctly, the brick will cover these much like a pair of jeans covers the legs. If you are able to view this, you will be able to do this work.
I built the hidden set of steps using ?????? concrete block. These blocks more brick finish are very heavy, with ensuring the brick steps never crack or crumble, put in a platform concrete that forms the basis for the brick steps. This concrete pad was 6 inches thick and one-half inch steel rebar spaced at the foot placed in centers a grid pattern like a puzzle. The steel is placed in the middle of the wet concrete. Take time to ensure that the concrete is poured on the floor compacted, and the top surface of the concrete is level.
The day after pouring the concrete, I started using different block sizes concrete and concrete brick to build the package that had the same width, depth and height of the tread as the finished brick steps. Using this coarse masonry material allowed me to learn some tricks when working with mortar. It is imperative to first package of concrete blocks are secondary to another level and that steps forward lean so that water flows through each step to the patio. I engineered in a slope of one-eighth inch per foot of the fall of each tread for good drainage. I do not want water to pool on a stair tread.
My steps are completed have steps that are about 21.5-inches deep and the bands are 6 inches tall. The dimensions worked in this way because I was using brick that measures 4 inches wide by 8 inches long by 1.5 cm thick, and I wanted to keep cuts to a minimum. The court only had to make were those of the sides of each tread, where the brick steps butted up to small brick walls on both sides of the steps. I urge you to do your work out steps to keep cuts to a minimum.
The mortar used to hold it all together was just a mixture of fine sand and Portland cement. Do not use traditional brick mortar, it is not really the right stuff brick installation at grade level. Normal is enough mortar for the walls, since water can easily throw onto the ground. Portland cement is formulated to withstand the ice and snow when mixed, installed and cured properly. I used a mixture of sand, three parts to one part Portland cement mortar for me.
The 6-inch lift height for each step was easy to create. I placed the brick in the narrow edge so the flat side of the face lift block created. The lower edge the brick was flush with the back of the brick below the tread. Half inch wide mortar joint between the top of the elevator and the floor brick brick above the tread joins 2 inches exactly. You can create a 6.5-inch high-rise if you add a visible brick mortar joint under the elevator.
21.5 inches deep tread not only looks good but is safe and comfortable walking. In my opinion, each time building steps with bands less than 7.5 inches, you want a deep tread and which take an additional step before going down to the next tread. The 21.5-inch depth provides space necessary to take that extra step.
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