For example, if your wall will be 3 feet (0. 91 m) wide, your footing area should be between 6 feet (1. 8 m) and 9 feet (2. 7 m) wide. Footing helps to spread the weight of a load-bearing wall across an area of soil. The taller and heavier your wall is, the wider the footing should be. Your footers should be free any potential water seeping or pooling. Make sure that your planned footing areas are all set up to drain water away from the footing. Remember to check with local building codes to make sure you are in compliance, as well.

If you are in the U. S. , call the national Digline to request information for any local utilities that may run through your project area. Call at least 2 days in advance, and follow all guidelines and directions you receive.

If your wall will be load-bearing, the horizontal tie rods should be set at least 6 inches (15 cm) into the footing. Tap the block lightly with a rubber mallet to help the grout settle.

Put on goggles, gloves, long sleeves and pants, and a mask before you mix the concrete. [7] X Expert Source Gerber Ortiz-VegaMasonry Specialist & Founder, GO Masonry LLC Expert Interview. 10 March 2020.

Use a hoe or a flat nosed shovel if any concrete sticks to the wheelbarrow. Pour the concrete with great care. Kicking up dirt or debris could contaminate your mixture and create a non-binding or crumbling mix.

Use a notched trowel can provide a little bit of texture in the top of your concrete. The notches it creates will help the first row of blocks better adhere to the footer than they would on flat, smooth concrete.

You can use premixed mortar or buy a bag of mortar mix and mix it yourself according to the package directions. Mixing it yourself is usually the cheaper option.

You only need to use enough mortar to thinly cover the surface of the ears. You only need to use mortar on the ears. Do not apply it to the space between the ears.

Press the mortar with your thumb once in a while to check for hardness. Once you can just barely dent the mortar with your thumb, it means the mortar is close to being set. [17] X Research source

If you choose to use a sledgehammer, be sure to use one that is 2 pounds (0. 91 kg) or less. Rubber mallets tend to produce more consistent results with less chance of causing damage. Strike the horizontal joints first using gentle pressure. Then strike the vertical joints gently. Scrape off the excess mortar and strike both joints once more.

Be sure that the joint line is staggered from block to block.