Saturday, October 1, 2016

Tearing Down Walls by Kalley McClure


During the final week of September, the Masonry shop spent their time in shop outside tearing down, and rebuilding, the Versa-Lok wall in front of the school. One student, Chris Everly, said, "We did it right outside the school, and the wall turned out aesthetically pleasing."


When we asked Troy Silver about what it took in order to build the wall, he told us, "We first had to build a footer to reach the frost line.  We then had to fill the trench with gravel and limestone dust. After filling the hole, we plate tamped the entire surface and checked to see if it was level with the ground. Once it is leveled out, it was safe to lay down the first coarse. The second course and up, needed to be pinned in with plastic pins and a hammer. When all the courses are laid, we glued the caps on, straight edge the, and then back filled the wall."
Deven Cameron mentioned that he worked with Jake Olander, and Chris Everly to load a truck with twenty-six Versa-Lok blocks, and explained that "Versa-Lok is a special block used for designing.  Mr. Sperdute tells us that this product is 'money in the bank' because so many want this product." 
Everyone stops by the front of the school in order to leave or enter, so next time you're up front, take some time to admire the hard work that shows just a hint of all that Masonry has to offer. 





"Our teacher Sperdute taught us all we know; without him we would be nowhere in this shop." - Troy Silver