Retaining Wall Blocks... No need for Mortar... just stack 'em up...sweet as!

DIY GUIDES PRICE GUIDE

Retaining Walls can be the foundation for your landscape, adding depth and character to your yard.  In a flat yard, retaining walls can add steps, benches and raised garden beds. If your land is hilly or sloped, a retaining wall can add terraces and give you more usable living space for you and your family and friends. Whatever method you choose, adding retaining walls to your yard will add to the value of your home.

Over the last 10 years or so the development of the Concrete Retaining Wall block has come along in leaps and bounds with there now being a wide range of shapes, sizes and colours to choose from. They are often referred to as “Link Blocks” or “Stacker Blocks”. All the major brands available can be seen on our website but better than that, they can also be seen in actual walls in our Block and Paver display at our landscape supplies yard at Darra. So come along to see what they actually look like and talk to the sales team in air-conditioned comfort about what would suit your particular project. In fact, we also carry stock of most of the retaining wall blocks so you could even take one home to see what it will look like in its intended setting.

There are a huge number of benefits to be had when using these retaining wall blocks, and they include:

- Following on from this point; if a mistake is made … as there is no mortar, you can just dismantle it and start again.

- In most cases, the retaining wall blocks are below 20kg each which again makes installation possible by you.

- As they are a manufactured product, their sizing and uniformity is very consistent, again making installation a breeze.

- Depending on the style chosen, they can be used in straight or curved walls and in many cases can do right-angled corners too.

- Given the variety of styles and colours available, they can blend in with any style of landscaping project.

- There are styles that build a vertical retaining wall and some that slope backwards into the bank to give more strength and there is even a style that is hollow, allowing you to fill them with soil and plant them out … giving a rockery type appearance.

- There are quite often special offers running on one form of retaining wall block or another which means, this type of retaining wall can be built at a very economical rate.

Things to be wary of when using Concrete Retaining Wall blocks:

• It is critical to read the manufacturer’s guidelines as to the capabilities and specifications of the retaining wall block. Some of the biggest problems arise when a retaining wall block is used for an application that it is not designed to handle, e.g. a specified height or right-angled corners.

• In spite of modern technology, all these retaining wall blocks have the potential to fade to varying degrees over the years and depending on their location, they may well succumb to some mould growing on the face. These are processes that happen naturally so cannot be avoided, however, they do respond well when cleaned with a Gurney.

• If the bottom course is not laid level and carefully, this can result in the retaining wall appearing uneven as each course will follow the pattern of the one below. Make sure extra care is taken on the bottom layer and have a spirit level available at all times!

• Consider the stability of the ground when planning the footing below the retaining wall. Some brochures recommend compacted Roadbase which can be fine for small walls (say around 50mm) but on higher walls, up to 1m, the use of concrete is a much better idea as it not only strengthens the retaining wall a great deal but also ensures that each level stays exactly level.

  How to Build a "Link Block" Retaining Wall - No Mortar Needed

  DISCLAIMER:

  The colours shown should be taken as indicative. They are as close as photographic processing and computer monitors allow. Decisions on colour should be made from actual product.

  Tonal variation
  Colour tonal and shade variations are an expected part of all natural stone and man-made retaining wall blocks. These subtle colour variations between retaining wall blocks add interest and life to a finished retaining wall.

  There can be small variations from block to block, batch to batch and therefore from samples to retaining wall blocks. Because of water absorption and concrete curing, retaining wall blocks can sometimes lighten a little over time and darker markings may occur.