Useful instructions on how to build, dismantle and insulate a brick wall in an apartment

An apartment’s brick wall installation, demolition, and insulation call for meticulous planning and execution. These steps will effectively guide you through the process, whether you’re building a new partition or remodeling an existing wall.

Assemble the following supplies and equipment before starting: dust mask, safety goggles, gloves, a spirit level, a trowel, bricks, and mortar. To reduce mess, make sure the space is free of furniture and covered with drop cloths.

First, mark the location of the new wall on the wall layout with a pencil or chalk line. Next, either prepare the space for the construction of a new brick wall or carefully demolish any existing walls. Make sure the surface is clean and level and clear of debris.

Starting at one end of the marked layout, start laying the bricks. Using a spirit level to ensure that each brick is level and aligned, evenly apply mortar and firmly place each brick into place. When applying mortar, keep the spaces between the bricks uniform by using spacers.

As you proceed upward, stagger the joints between brick placements to improve stability. Using a spirit level, check the vertical and horizontal alignment on a regular basis. As soon as the wall is the appropriate height, let the mortar cure in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.

For a brick wall to be soundproof and thermally efficient, insulation is essential. Place insulating materials between the brick layers, such as foam boards or mineral wool. To stop heat loss and enhance acoustics, fill in gaps and joints with mortar or a specialty sealant.

Once the building and insulation are finished, thoroughly clean the space and give the wall time to dry. After that, you can add the finishing touches, like painting or adding decorative finishes, to fit your taste in interior design.

To build a brick wall in your apartment:	1. Plan the wall layout and mark it clearly.
Dismantling tips:	1. Carefully remove existing wall materials to avoid damage.
Insulation guide:	1. Choose insulation suited for brick walls to enhance thermal efficiency.

The feasibility of erecting brick partitions

Interior brick partitions are typically used to divide a large room into multiple zones. Although these walls cannot support a weight, they are quite durable, offer good sound insulation, and are resistant to fire and moisture.

Pros and cons of construction

Recently, the construction of brick partitions has decreased, favoring the use of drywall. You must be aware of all the benefits and drawbacks of brick partitions in order to avoid making mistakes and having to redo the partitions.

Benefits

1. The main advantage of a brick wall is its strength; it can only be broken with a sledgehammer or a jackhammer.
2. A brick structure has the ability to absorb sound, and this is not unimportant when several people live in an apartment.
3. The brick structure can be given a curved shape, which is important for modern design ideas.

Drawbacks:

1. Laying bricks is a labor-intensive, slow task.
2. Walls built from brick need to be plastered and puttied, which also requires time and additional costs.
3. When building a brick wall in an apartment, you need to be prepared for the fact that there will be a lot of dirt and dust.
4. The large weight of the wall will put an extra load on the floors in a multi-story building.
5. The brick wall “eats” the useful area due to the large thickness, along with the layer of plaster, its thickness is 150-170 mm.
6. High material costs.

Here are some simple instructions for constructing, taking apart, and insulating a brick wall in an apartment. Whether you want to build a new wall or remodel an old one, we explain every step in detail, from setting up the area and selecting the materials to carrying out the work quickly and safely. Our goal is to arm do-it-yourselfers with useful information that guarantees bricklaying projects succeed, with a focus on efficiency and simplicity all along the way.

Design requirements

An apartment’s brick partition is installed while keeping SNiP requirements in mind. The design will then be dependable and long-lasting.

Once the main construction is finished and there are walls and ceilings, these partitions start to be built. There is no foundation in an apartment when brick partitions are built on your own.

As per SNiP, the minimum thickness of the partition needs to be 10 cm. Brick walls can only be installed on reinforced concrete slab floors or on stone structures due to their heavy weight.

Additionally, if the wall’s length is greater than five meters, you shouldn’t construct partitions out of this material. It is also important to remember that a brick wall should not be built over a finished floor as the coating will fail and the wall will bow.

What building material is better to use?

For the purpose of installing the brick interior walls Solid material is typically chosen because it will offer the best sound insulation.

The sound of the TV and the voices of the occupants of the apartment can be absorbed by such a partition, which can be installed in half a brick.

Sometimes the weight of the partition is decreased by using hollow bricks. However, keep in mind that drilling a wall like this for communications or hanging something from it can be risky because the material can collapse.

Hollow bricks are not advised for use in bathrooms or kitchens with high humidity levels. Because solid material is stronger and does not absorb moisture well, it is therefore preferable to use it.

For this kind of work, cheap material (size 250x120x65 mm) with a grade not less than M100 is bought.

Necessary materials and tools for masonry

To construct a superior brick wall, you will require the following two sets of tools:

• workers necessary for laying material and cladding;
• measuring – for marking, calculations and monitoring the correctness of work performed.

Tool for work:

1. Trowel – for working with cement mixtures.
2. Mortar shovel – for making mortar and moving small portions of it.
3. Joining – for finishing connecting seams.
4. Pick-hammer – for adjusting the brick to the desired size.
5. Scraping – removing excess solution.

Instrument for measurement:

1. Plumb line – to control the vertical evenness of walls and piers.
2. Tape measure – for performing control measurements and marking axes.
3. Folding meter.
4. Square – to control the geometry of corners.
5. Level – to check the evenness of walls vertically and horizontally.
6. Rule.

Several solutions are used when laying bricks:

• cement and sand,
• cement and lime,
• cement and clay.

You can buy each ingredient on its own and assemble the mixture yourself. However, a lot of ready-made dry mixtures are now available; all you have to do is dilute them with enough water, as directed on the package.

How to do it right?

Phases of the project:

1. The boundaries of the future partition are marked with a pencil or marker.
2. The first brick is installed at an angle of 90º to the load-bearing wall. Another brick is installed similarly on the opposite side. Using a cord, the horizontality of the lines is controlled.
3. Next, a solid base is created for the brick wall. This can be done using a metal mesh.
4. If the partition is planned to be long, then no more than 1 m in height can be placed daily so that part of the wall does not tilt. The horizontality of the surface is controlled by a tensioned thread, and the vertical by the level.
5. Even rows should start with half a brick. The thickness of the connecting seams should be a minimum of 0.7 cm and a maximum of 1.5 cm.
6. When erecting a wall, the thickness of which is less than 25 cm, reinforcement is carried out: every 4 rows of bricks along the entire length, a metal grid of wire with a cross section of 4-6 mm is laid. This will make the masonry more durable, so this process should not be neglected.
7. After 2-4 rows, the structure should be fastened to the main wall by hammering corners or large nails into it.
8. Between the last layer of brick and the ceiling, leave a gap 2-3 cm wide, which is filled with tow or felt, then plastered.

Bricks are sometimes positioned on edge to conserve space. This approach has advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages:

• laying on edge saves space in the apartment;
• laying bricks on edge is more economical in material terms, since less bricks and mortar are used.

Minuses:

• Only a specialist can lay out even rows;
• for laying ½ brick, you need to use only high quality building materials.

How to break?

Make sure the brick partition is not load-bearing before beginning to dismantle it. You should also know how thick the wall is in order to choose the appropriate tool. The building of the house may be adversely affected by the carrier partition’s destruction.

The following steps will be taken if the wall is not load-bearing:

1. Check the presence of electrical wiring by de-energizing this part of the apartment, disconnecting the required circuit breaker in the electrical panel from the power supply.
2. You need to start tearing down brick walls from top to bottom (if the wall is not load-bearing).
3. First, the mortar connecting the wall to the ceiling is knocked out, then the corner bricks are knocked down. It is better to do this using a hammer drill in the “impact without drilling” mode, helping with a chisel-spatula and a pick.
4. After knocking out the top bricks, the bottom rows can be easily disassembled using a sledgehammer.

Demolition of load-bearing partitions is prohibited in MKD. To avoid major issues arising from illegal and unprofessional actions, you must first obtain permission from the BTI if you wish to alter the redevelopment of an apartment in an apartment building. For instance, only a 60 cm wide opening—never to the ceiling—may be made in a load-bearing wall up to 4 m in length.

The architect and builders should be contacted once they have granted permission so that they can design a new project that takes into consideration every small detail.

In the event that a portion of the load-bearing wall had to be demolished, you would have to find a way to support the floors using fortifications such as columns.

A specialist should decide this while considering the structural integrity of the buildings. Only the upper stories of a multi-story building may have load-bearing walls removed.

In the event that load-bearing walls are dismantled improperly, then:

• cracks will appear in various places of the building;
• the ceilings will shift;
• walls may collapse.

How to insulate an external wall from inside a room?

Insufficient insulation in brick walls can cause condensation to form on them during temperature fluctuations, resulting in elevated humidity and the development of mold on their exterior.

It is appropriate to insulate brick walls from the outside since doing so will lessen the likelihood that warm air will condense indoors when it comes into contact with a cold wall. However, brick walls can also be insulated indoors if needed.

It is not acceptable to insulate brick walls from the inside using a material that permits steam to pass through more readily than brick, as this will cause condensation to seep through the insulation and collect on the structures. Sheathing made of popular plasterboard will aid in hydrating the wall during the winter.

Use these materials to prevent this:

• polymer heat insulator;
• extruded polystyrene foam;
• dense foam;
• polyurethane foam;
• penofol;
• heat-insulating plaster;
• mineral wool paired with waterproofing.

An illustration of how polystyrene foam is used to insulate an interior brick wall:

1. Clean the walls, level them with a thin layer of plaster and prime them.
2. Expanded polystyrene boards are glued to the wall using foam glue or to polyurethane foam.
3. The insulation should be positioned offset by half the slab so that there are no long seams.
4. Foam the joints between the plates, and after drying, cut off the excess with a knife.
5. Paste the reinforcing mesh.
6. Plaster the surface.
7. Paint or wallpaper.

Prices for construction work

When installing dividers:

Type of work	Units. measurements	Cost, rub.)
		Moscow and region	Krasnodar	Volgograd
¼ brick masonry	kv. m	550-700
½ brick masonry	kv. m	480-750	660	500
1 brick masonry	kv. m	700-950	800-1020	1000

For breaking down indoor brick walls:

Type of work	Units. measurements	Cost, rub.)
		Moscow and region	Krasnodar	Volgograd
Dismantling in ¼ brick	kv. m	from 160
Dismantling in ½ brick	kv. m	300-500	from 300	250
Dismantling in 1 brick	kv. m	390-600	from 500	500

To insulate an apartment’s brick walls from the inside:

Type of work	Units. measurements	Cost, rub.)
		Ekaterinburg	Krasnodar	Volgograd
Insulation of walls indoors	kv. m	from 155	from 200	from 200

Video on the topic of the article

In the video, old walls are taken down and brick partitions are installed in an apartment.

To ensure efficiency and safety, building, tearing down, and insulating a brick wall in an apartment requires careful planning and execution. Prior to beginning construction, the space must be cleared of any obstructions and measured precisely to ensure that the bricks are placed precisely.

Dismantling entails carefully removing the existing wall while taking safety measures to prevent damage to nearby structures and making sure that debris is disposed of properly. Care must be taken during this phase to avoid any possible risks or interruptions.

Maintaining energy efficiency and comfortable indoor temperatures in an apartment requires insulating brick walls. Achieving efficient thermal and sound insulation requires careful selection of insulation materials and installation methods. When insulation is installed correctly, it functions at its best, improving the living area’s overall comfort and energy efficiency.

You can create a safer, cozier living space in your apartment by building, taking down, and insulating a brick wall with success by following these instructions. These guidelines will assist you in building a structurally sound and well-insulated brick wall that improves the visual appeal and usability of your house, whether you’re remodeling an existing structure or starting from scratch.

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