Yes mule board is what they are called in the South. They can also be found in brick walls & were used to nail the wood furring that the lath was nailed to.

A bricklayer, which is related to but different from a mason, is a craftsman and tradesman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. In British and Australian English, a bricklayer is colloquially known as a “brickie”.

: a closer that is less than half a brick specifically : a brick of full length and thickness but half width that is used at the end of a course next to the quoin header — compare king closer.

Back in the old days, they were using wood to support the walls because the bricks that they were using weren’t extremely resistant. Wood was added on a vertical between the bricks to help keep the structure. Looking at your pictures, the wood was added there probably to allow to fix screws in it.

Those gaps are called “weep holes” — a building code requirement that drains water out of brick exterior walls. Typically, behind the brick is a 1.5-inch cavity or air space and then the wood structure. Those gaps are called “weep holes” — a building code requirement that drains water out of brick exterior walls.

4 Answers from MyBuilder Bricklayers Mortar gaps in pointing should be around the 5mm – 10 mm max really 4 inches is much to big even if is to fill a gap.

A single bead of caulk can fill gaps up to 1/4 inch. If the gap is slightly larger than this, fill it with a bead of caulk deeper into the gap, but not flush with the surface. Wait until the caulk is completely cured before coming back to put a surface bead on.

When attaching plasterboard to a brick fireplace wall, you have two options: use construction adhesive to glue the drywall directly to the brick, known as the direct bond method, or mount the drywall with screws. Both methods require you to cover the joints with tape and compound.

For the exterior use a flexible caulk designed for the job. DAP makes some good flex caulks like Alex Plus or DynaFlex. On the interior, there’s often a slight movement between dissimilar surfaces, especially if they heat up and expand at different rates.

Mortar joints also crack from expansion during use and contraction after every fire. Excessive heat results from building a fire that is too big for the firebox. Too much heat wears out the firebrick and the mortar, causes cracks and other damage, and is generally an unsafe practice.

QUIKRETE® Fireplace Mortar (No. 8620-21) is a silicate based refractory cement caulk for tuck-pointing damaged fireplace mortar joints and repairing cracked or chipped firebricks in fireplaces and wood-burning stoves.

refractory cement

It’s a good idea to use firebrick or refractory brick to build the inner walls of your fire pit – this is because regular bricks crack at high temperatures. Fire bricks are denser than regular bricks and are kilned to withstand the heat of a fire pit. You’ll need around 25 firebricks for a 900mm (3ft) fire pit.

Cinder Block Fire Pit. A simple outdoor fire pit can be constructed out of cinder block. Create a backyard fire pit with little effort—or money—by using cinder blocks. A cinder block fire pit is quick, cheap, and doesn’t require any special DIY skills to make.

To install a fire pit, all you need is your block of choice and LIQUID NAILS® FUZE*IT® All Surface Construction Adhesive (LN-2000) to get the job done. Liquid Nails FUZE*IT has an extreme temperature resistance, and will secure your blocks in place.