Laying Brick Over Concrete: A How-To Guide

The North side of Indianapolis (Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, and Westfield) is a hot real estate market these days. Couples of all ages are looking for their next dream home. But with any home purchase, updates usually need to be made.

In the event that a concrete patio or sidewalk isn’t meeting your expectations or desires, have no fear. A great way to give a facelift to an outdoor area is to lay brick over the concrete. One of the biggest advantages to this is that you already have an established base. You can instantly improve the look of your property without the added hassle of digging up concrete and hauling it away.

This is a fairly easy project that can be accomplished in a weekend. Depending on the size of the area, cost will obviously vary.

Here’s what you need to do to lay brick over concrete:

1. Choose a brick or clay paver that you like, then create the design. Keep in mind that some patterns (like herringbone) will require more cutting than others.
2. Clean the perimeter of the patio where you will lay the frame. The cleaner it is, the stronger the bond you’ll have with the glue.
3. Frame your project with bricks placed perpendicular to the concrete. We recommend using a few dots (about the size of a penny) of masonry adhesive on each brick. This will allow rainwater to easily pass underneath.
4. On the inside of the frame, cover the concrete with a single layer of roofing felt. Do not overlap the edges.
5. When you have finished the first layer, put down a second layer of roofing felt perpendicular to the first.
6. Starting at one corner, lay the bricks in place, leaving approximately ⅛ “ gap between them for sand.
7. Between the bricks, sweep concrete sand in the joints until they’re full.

You can do this project, but you can also leave it to the pros. Give us a call… we’d love to take care of this job for you!