What blocks should I use for a retaining wall?

Concrete blocks can be used by laying them side by side, again with mesh ties holding the two sections together, or by laying them flat to give either a 225mm wide wall, or long ways to give a 450mm wide wall. There are also proprietary products for building strong walls and one of these is the hollow concrete block.

How thick should a block retaining wall be?

Retaining walls can be tricky to build as they need to be strong enough to resist horizontal soil pressure where there are differing ground levels. One of the things you must get right is the thickness of the wall. It should be at least 215mm thick and bonded or made of two separate brick skins tied together.

What size retaining wall blocks do I need?

The general rule of thumb is to bury about one-eighth of the height of the wall. For example, if your wall will be three feet (36 inches) tall, the first course of blocks should start five inches below soil level.

How high can interlocking blocks go?

Legioblock interlocking blocks can be stacked to a height of 8.80 metres. In some cases, construction can reach heights of up to 13 metres.

Do you need rebar in a block wall?

Wall Size. A freestanding garden wall or block privacy fence will require less reinforcing than a basement or other load-bearing wall in a house or other building. An 8-foot-high wall will obviously require more rebar than a 4-foot wall. Very short walls, under 4 feet and laid with mortar, may not require any rebar.

Do I need to glue my retaining wall blocks?

Retaining wall blocks typically do not need adhesive to lay each course. If you wish to lay more than two courses, you only need to cut a block in half for the even-numbered courses.

How deep should footings be for a retaining wall?

All footings should be a minimum of 150mm (6″) in depth, with the bottom 350 – 400mm (14-16″) below ground level on most soils. For clay soil however, thicker and deeper footings should be used.

How deep and wide do footings need to be for a retaining wall?

Footings for Dry-Stacked Wall To construct a footing for a dry-stacked retaining wall, excavate a trench that is 5 to 7 inches deep plus 1 inch for every 8 inches of planned wall height.

What is the strongest type of retaining wall?

Concrete and Masonry Retaining Walls Poured concrete is the strongest and most durable choice for retaining walls. It may also be carved and formed to look like mortared stone depending on your taste.

How high can retaining wall blocks be stacked?

Planning a Block Retaining Wall The interlocking retaining wall block can be stacked to build walls up to 24 to 36 inches high, depending on the size of the block.

How deep should a footing be for a block wall?

Normally a foundation wall with seven rows of blocks will be 24 inches wide and 12 inches deep and should have a footing 30 inches below grade.

How to build block retaining wall?

Using a shovel,mark the ground where the retaining wall will be built. Drive long wooden stakes into the ground at each end.

Excavate the entire area to a depth of 8”. Spread approximately 4” of gravel evenly in the trench and rake the gravel smooth.

Staring at one end,place the first course of concrete blocks top side up on the crushed rock with the front lip facing up and towards the front

Install corrugated drainage pipe behind the first course of blocks and run the pipe to where the water can exit the area.

Sweep away all debris from the top of the first course of block with a broom.

Top the final course with capstone blocks,securing them in place using concrete adhesive and a caulking gun.

How to build a retaining wall?

Choose gravel that has stones sized between 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch.

Fill the trench with a 2- to 3-inch layer of gravel.

Use a rake to ensure the stones are evenly distributed.

Tamp the base with your tamper to make sure it’s evenly compacted.

What are interlocking concrete blocks?

Introduction. Historically,interlocking concrete block paving technique originated from small-element surfacing which involved stone setts,wooden blocks,and bricks used for early city pavements in some parts of Europe in

Design of interlocking concrete block pavements.

Block characteristics.

Construction.

Stability.

How high can you stack concrete blocks?

Without support, you can stack the blocks on top of each other up to around 4 feet , but there are other concerns above and beyond simple height that can affect the stability of the wall. While the 4-foot height cap is more of a recommendation than anything else, the type of soil you are dealing with will influence this number.