Readers ask: How To Lay Concrete Blocks For Retaining Wall?

What do you put under retaining wall blocks?

Backfill the wall with gravel or sand. If you use sand, first cover the backside of the retaining wall with landscape fabric. This will keep the sand from seeping between the blocks. If you’re backfilling with gravel, you can pour the gravel after every course you lay.

How do you install a retaining wall with concrete blocks?

1. mark placement of retaining wall. Mark the Placement of the Retaining Wall.
2. prepare base for retaining wall. Prepare the Base.
3. check level and alignment of all blocks. Lay the First Course.
4. install drainage pipe. Install the Drainage Pipe.
5. fill concrete cores with crushed gravel.
6. top final course with capstone blocks.

Can I use concrete blocks for a retaining wall?

Add style and support to your yard with a concrete retaining wall. You can build one in just six steps. Concrete blocks are ideal for building walls to hold back the soil after you dig into a slope for a pathway, patio, or another landscaping project. Retaining walls must be stronger than freestanding walls.

Do you need rebar in a block wall?

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.

What is the easiest retaining wall to build?

For the average do-it-yourselfer, building a retaining wall is easiest when using masonry blocks that will be stacked no taller than three feet, with no mortar binding the stones or concrete members. (For a curved wall, mark instead with a garden hose or spray paint.)

What is the cheapest retaining wall block?

What is the cheapest retaining wall material?

• Treated pine and is the least expensive material.
• Hardwood is more expensive than treated pine.
• Railway sleepers are another – slightly more expensive – option and are built to withstand ground and water contact.
• Concrete sleepers are more expensive.

Are poured concrete walls better than block?

Poured concrete wall foundations are arguably stronger than cinder blocks. Poured walls have a better lateral strength, which means they are able to resist more pressure from the water and the soil from the outside. Poured walls tend to be the preferred choice of new construction builders.

How deep should a footing be for a retaining wall?

Concrete retaining wall footing size



The depth to the bottom of the base slab should be kept at a minimum of two feet. However, it should always be below the seasonal frost line, and that often is much deeper in northern climates.

HOW MUCH DO Retaining wall blocks cost?

The cost of retaining wall materials ranges from $3 to $40 per square foot. Wall block prices fall between $10 and $15 per square foot, while precase, poured concrete runs $20 to $25. Wood falls in the middle at $15 to $25 per square foot. The final cost depends on the material used and the size of the wall.

WHY DO Retaining walls fail?

The main cause of retaining wall failure is poor drainage. Without proper drainage, hydrostatic pressure builds up behind the retaining wall. Saturated soil is substantially heavier than dry soil, and the retaining wall may not be designed to handle such a load.

Should concrete blocks be filled?

The concrete blocks that are used to build block foundations are hollow. After the concrete blocks are laid, the voids can be filled with a cement-based mortar or poured concrete that contains small pea gravel.



Do you need to fill cinder blocks with concrete?

Block Wall Thickness	Blocks Filled per Cubic Yard	Concrete/Grout per 100 Block
12″	65	1.54 yd3

How do you make a strong retaining wall?

Here are three key principles in building any solid retaining wall:

1. Bury the bottom course, or courses, of the retaining wall one tenth the height of the wall to prevent the soil behind from pushing the bottom out.
2. Step back the blocks, rocks or timbers to get gravity working in your favor.

What do you use to fill concrete blocks?

When concrete blocks are stacked on top of one another, you can look down through the center of the foundation. After the concrete blocks are laid, the voids can be filled with a cement-based mortar or poured concrete that contains small pea gravel.

Can you build a cinder block wall without mortar?

QUIKWALL® Surface Bonding Cement (SBC) now makes most block construction possible without using mortar; it’s literally a “stack and stucco” project. A single coat on dry-stacked block gives a handsome stucco finish and provides greater flexural and impact strength than mortar with less expense.

How high can a block wall be built?

It is not uncommon to create designs with an h/t from 32 to 50. That could produce wall heights of up to 33 feet for walls built with 8-inch concrete masonry units (CMU), 41 feet for 10-inch CMU, and 50 feet for 12-inch CMU.