"Brick by Brick: Comparing the Best Bricklaying Methods – Traditional, Flick Jointing, and Pick and Dip!"

It is common knowledge that a bricklayer contracting to a builder will usually be priced on a “brick rate” - meaning that they’ll often get paid per brick that they lay. While there’s a lot to be said about this topic and whether it’s actually fair or not, given that modern houses have less brickwork than ever and with the type of brickwork Architects often require being quite complex, we’ll go there another time. Given that the bricklayer is locked into a brick rate by the builder, it therefore follows that a bricklayer’s earning capacity has a direct correlation with how efficiently they can lay bricks. This can be quite the double edged sword. I’ll explain; a bricklayer who is solely focussed on a brick count and “smashes them in”, can have an inverse effect on the quality of their workmanship. I’m a stickler for bad brickwork, as the unsightly mess it can create often leads to the the trade getting a bad name and affecting everyone.

However, go too far the other way when you’re locked into a brick rate, and you’ll fast find an inability to adequately lay the volume of bricks required to cover your running costs as a business. 

Quite the juggling act! This begs the question, what are the best methods to obtain that balance? 

First we’ll look at the context of where brick rates are currently at and what this means for the industry.

In recent times, (Melbourne Victoria) brick rates in Melbourne have surged, often WELL above $2.00 per brick laid. Even some of the volume builders who work such slim margins (but enormous volume) are paying around this mark. These have been driven by various economic factors and without going into too much detail usually revolve around:

Labour shortages - there’s literally bugger all bricklayers left to meet the demand of brick to be laid (a story for another time)

Material costs - the price of raw materials, such as clay and cement, has risen due to supply chain disruptions and increased demand. This directly impacts the cost of bricks.

Inflation - General inflation affects the entire economy, including construction costs. As prices rise, so do the rates for skilled trades.

Increased Demand for Housing - With Melbourne’s population growth, there’s an ongoing demand for residential construction. This uptick in building projects naturally leads to a higher demand for bricklaying services.

Understanding these changes is crucial for contractors and clients alike.

Implications for Bricklayers

For bricklayers, the increase in rates can be both an opportunity and a challenge. On one hand, higher wages and prices can lead to better financial stability; on the other, competition may intensify as more tradespeople (often unskilled or tradesman who don’t normally do their own contract work) enter the market to capitalise on rising demand. The second point dilutes the labour pool somewhat and can often result in poor workmanship.

With all this said, it follows that in order to maximise their output (bricks laid), thus profits, a bricklayer needs to lay as many bricks as they can but WITHIN the acceptable tolerances provided by the NCC (these are quite strict tolerances too). 

So what are the best methods? 

Now as the old saying goes “There's more than one way to crack an egg—just don't forget the pan!" - the pan here is workmanship.

In my experience as a contractor I’ve seen this to be true with almost every bricklayer I’ve met. They all have unique techniques that they choose in order to lay brick, often with varying results. However, they usually fall into one of 3 categories 

Traditional method:

Flick jointing:

Pick and Dip method:

Lets take a closer look

Traditional method 

In this true and tested method (one which we’re all usually taught at tafe), the bricklayer spreads their whole bed of mortar on the course they’re laying (the entire length of the wall from end to end), being careful to spread the appropriate amount (too much can be messy and cause mortar to fall behind the wall amongst other things, and not enough can leave empty pockets in your), and then proceeds to work from one end to the other buttering and laying each brick unit individually. Tested and tried, this method has stood the test of time, but is it the most efficient way?

Flick Jointing 

This method became popular in the USA, with the “Specmix 500: Worlds fastest trowel series” where the competing mason would lay as many bricks as they could in one hour. The same method for mortar spreading as traditional, but they solely lay forwards and use the excess mortar that spills out of the wall from pushing the brick down (snots) to “flick” to the front of the brick they’ve just laid. In this way the mason can quickly pick up another brick, pull it backwards into the previous brick with the flick joint already on it, and repeat. The mason saves time by not individually buttering each brick as it has already been done on the previous brick.

It is not uncommon for bricklayers/masons under competition conditions to lay upwards of 500 bricks in one hour (world record is 914)

While this is in itself VERY impressive from an output perspective, the quality of workmanship is questionable. Common issues include:

-mortar joints not full

-wall smear

-wonky bricks laid

Now the term “cowboy” is thrown around in our trade to describe the bricklayer who throws in bricks with high output but severely compromises quality of workmanship. I know everyone loves Kevin Costner’s “Yellowstone”at the minute but can this method be used while maintaining a high level of quality?

Personally, I’ve used this method before and have had pleasing results with solid bricks and any panels that are to be rendered afterwards. It is possible to hone this technique in a way that minimises the aforementioned issues, however should be used with caution given the stringent standards that bricklayers are held to. 

The next method is truly an interesting one!

Pick and dip method:

It’s not often that someone reinvents the wheel in bricklaying, but UK’s Charlie Collison has done just that for the large population of bricklayers around the world who had never seen this technique. Although originating as a dutch method of laying bricks, Charlie put it on the map in the modern world when managed to lay 607 bricks in an hour at last years” UK’S: Super Trowel”. Even more impressive given that the Supertrowell event has much more strict tolerances when compared with the Specmix 500.

So how does this method work?

In contrast to the previously two mentioned methods, the bricklayer does not spread their entire bed of mortar from end to end. Instead, the bricklayer picks up ONE brick and ONE trowel of mortar at the same time and spreads it on the wall. The brickie then proceeds to lay that one brick that they’ve picked up but “dips” it on a slight angle into the spread mortar so as to use the end of the brick to scoop up some mortar and perps the previous brick. This eliminates the need to butter your brick but also achieves full joints. They rinse and repeat,  making their way to the end of the wall. The true magic of this method lies in the minimisation of movement. If a bricklayer bends down to pick up a brick and does so separately each time they pick up their mortar, then a bricklayer who lays 1000 bricks in a day has AT LEAST bent their backs 2000 times. With pick and dip method this would be halved as you do both in the same motion. Genius right? The back of a bricklayer is their everything, and this method largely looks after that old chestnut.

This contractor can confirm that this method is not only tidy but super efficient. Works perfectly when laying solid bricks and your back is noticeably less aggravated at the end of the day. It’s quite hard to master (not saying that I have) but like all things in bricklaying its about repeating good habits and technique over time. The only thing I’ve found with it is that the brick dimensions of Australian (L=230mm x W=110mm x H=76mm) bricks are slightly larger than that of the standard brick in the UK (L=215mm x W=102.5mm x H=65mm) and although this sounds minimal it can mean the difference of a perp (vertical mortar joint) being full or not. 

How is this at all relevant?

I’m a big fan of progressiveness, the saying “work smarter not harder” is probably dropped about a million times on a jobsite however bricklayers have seemed to stick to what they know and have been taught. We’re a funny bunch and too often I’ve seen a brickie too set in their ways to even try new things. Set in thier ways, or closed minded, call it what you will, there’s no doubt they make their own ceilings.

Over the years, I met a guy who seemed about as polar opposite to this notion of rigidity as one could be.

That man is Scott Howard. Scott is director of Melbourne based “The Brick Business” and has truly produced some of the best time saving instruments for bricklayers all across Australia. I for one have had the pleasure from benefiting from some of these methods. The passion for change and progressiveness in the industry is evident with a 2 minute chat with Scott and he really backs it up with practice. The industry needed a mind like his in order to move forward and keep up with times. How does this relate to the current article? Enter "LayMaster"!!!!!!! Scott has invented a smart watch that LITERALLY COUNTS THE BRICKS THAT YOU WILL LAY. I can’t even begin to imagine the tech involved to pick up these movements but I’ll find out more and write another blog on the importance and implications for bricklayers. 

This technology at will at least help answer one of the begging questions when comparing bricklaying methods in Australia: Which is more efficient?

I’ve contacted Scott and am thrilled that he has allowed me to be one of his lab rats in testing out this tech so stay tuned for some results!!

Click here to see what LayMaster is all about

Australian bricklayers:

My question for you guys is what are your experiences with this topic?

Which methods have you guys used and are there methods covered in this post that you were unaware of?

Let me know what you think

Thanks for the read and remember:

“NEVER THROW IN THE TROWEL” 

KEL 

#Bricklaying #Masonry #Brickwork #MasonryLife #Construction #Builder #Bricklayer #HomeRenovation #DIY

#ConstructionLife