Simple Outdoor Stone Wall Repair

INSIDE : Learn how to make a simple outdoor stone wall repair in just one day!  No more loose rocks and stones falling off your backyard wall anymore.

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Our backyard has a nice long rock planter wall filled with all kinds of lovely plants.  It’s the perfect height for sitting at and my kids love walking back and forth on it to see over our stucco wall to the rest of the neighborhood.  

When we first moved into this house three years ago, there were maybe just two or three rocks that were loose on our wall.  However, after a while more and more rocks were getting loose and coming right off.  Someone would go to sit down and a rock would fall right off.  Or my kids would walk be walking along the wall and a stone would slip right out from under them.  Not safe at all, so it was time I took matters into my own hands.

What supplies do I need to repair small stone retaining wall problems?

• Mortar Mix, Quikrete
• Bucket
• Work Gloves
• Brick and Block Trowel
• Water
• Sponge
• Large Stiff Bristled Brush

How to repair an old stone wall

Start by removing any of the loose stones from your wall.  I found it best to stack them on the ground right in front of where they go.  Depending on the type of rock used on your wall, there may be very specific directions that your stones will fit.

If you have a more rounded stone, it may not be as essential to keep the rocks nearby their original location.

Clean off stone wall

The next step in repairing your stonewall is giving both the rocks and the place on the wall where the rock had been located a nice good brush down.  It is helpful to use a hard bristled brush for this job to really remove any major dirt, debris or additionally loose mortar from the area before adding new mortar.

Prep your Mortar Mix

As per the directions on your specific type of Mortar Mix, I used Quikrete add your mortar into a small 2 gallon bucket and apply the specified water.  Be warned, quikrete hardens very quickly so be ready to mix and apply!

Whenever you are working with mortar, it’s best to wear gloves as concrete can dry your skin out so badly and it’s not great to get covered in that stuff.  

Once you’ve mixed the mortar and water, using your trowel apply it to the edges of your wall where the rock had been located.  I also then applied about an inch of mortar to each side of my stone.  

Nestle the rock into place and scrape off any excess mortar with your trowel.

I found it helpful to lightly spray the areas I had completed with my hose on a mist setting and then using my hard bristle brush and a sponge, clean up the stone’s top side.  

Outdoor Stone Wall Repair with mortar

The pattern on our wall is an organic, loose stacked stone look.  When repairing a stone wall with mortar is is important to try and mimic the look of your existing stones. 

Our mortar is hidden from the front and visible on the top flat surface, so I was sure to follow that same pattern during my repair work.

A few example mortar joints are…

• Concave Joint
• V Joint
• Struck Joint
• Hidden Joint
• Weather Joint
• Raked Joint
• Flush Joint
• Extruded Joint
• Squeezed Joint

How much does it cost to repair a Stone wall?

The cost of a stone wall repair is fairly inexpensive.  I spent about $38 for all my supplies and it only took about an hour to do the entire wall’s rock repairs. 

Here is the cost breakdown for each supply – 

Mortar Mix, Quikrete $8
Bucket $2
Work Gloves $7
Brick and Block Trowel $6
Water 
Sponge $4
Large Stiff Bristled Brush $11

Shop the supplies and materials in this post : 

It is so nice now to have all the stones set in place and able to use and enjoy the wall without worry and concern!

If you are looking for more outdoor projects, you should check out :

• 5 Must Do tips for Updating your Outdoor Patio
• DIY Wooden Sunburst Doormat
• Painting your Mailbox and Address Tiles
• Create a simple Raised Vegetable Garden
• Painted DIY Dash Doormat