# Forum Home Renovation Brickwork  Bricking up a doorway

## col5555

I have a single leaf wall with a door way in it that I want to close up. 
Is it better to tooth out every 2nd or 3rd course and tie in that  way or just drill and insert 6mm steel rods into the existing mortar joint  and tie into the new brickwork.
At what intervals should you tie into existing brickwork with either method.??
How far should the steel rods go into the new and old brickwork.
I was told once you drill in at an angle insert rod bend up and then crank over onto the course then mud up and lay bricks.
Both side will be rendered and plastered.

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## ScroozAdmin

its a lot easier to use frame ties like these every 4th course screw fixed into the brick not the joint, most hardwares would maybe have something similar (as a tip drill a course or 2 above the one your laying or you can't get your drill in), a strip of reinforcing mesh over the joints before render might not go amiss either.  
Toothing out is actually not that easy to get right, unless your pretty skilful with a trowel, as you have to maintain a good connection with the surrounding bricks while dealing with a buttered end and top and also laying on a bed, mostly the brick sinks a mm or 2 and loses the bond with the top half brick or it all goes pear and the mortar drops off everywhere as you try and place it  :Biggrin:

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## Craigoss

Just tooth out every 4th course

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## Haveago1

I needed to fill in an internal doorway in a single brick wall. It was being gyprocked over so I just made a pine stud frame to sit in the door space and screwed it to the existing door jamb (which was firmly affixed to the brickwork via multiple brick ties) 
If you are rendering you could do similar using blueboard rather than gyprock....

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## autogenous

I would go 2 x 6mm pins every 3rd or 4th course.  Toothing is a great concept in lime mortar however modern masonry mortar can end up breaking unless cut out.   
Even then its hard to get a full top joint.   
If you wish to put in one toothing put it at the 2/3 mark up the opening and use pins for the rest. 
Fill the top joint at the head with some 6mm compressed cement fibre sheet packers then push/fill mortar either side to prevent any dropping in case load bearing may occur after.

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## col5555

> I would go 2 x 6mm pins every 3rd or 4th course. Toothing is a great concept in lime mortar however modern masonry mortar can end up breaking unless cut out.  
> Even then its hard to get a full top joint.  
> If you wish to put in one toothing put it at the 2/3 mark up the opening and use pins for the rest. 
> Fill the top joint at the head with some 6mm compressed cement fibre sheet packers then push/fill mortar either side to prevent any dropping in case load bearing may occur after.

  Would that be two pins each side or one each side. How far should the pins go in and stick out into the new brickwork.

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