How to Install Retaining Walls

Retaining walls are great for flower boxes, fire pits, and other purposes but they need to be made tightly and secure so they won’t fall over. The supplies for a retaining wall can be purchased from your local home improvement or hardware stores. You can build your own retaining wall that works best to suit your purpose.

Things you'll need:

• Spray paint (optional)


• Sand or dirt


• Shovel


• Tape measure


• Level


• Paver base


• Tamper


• Landscape adhesive

1. Make a basic outline of the retaining wall that you are going to make. This will be the area that you will start from and build on. A spray paint can be used to outline this area.


2. Dig out a small trench about 4 to 6 inches deep. Make sure it is the proper width for the base that you want your wall to be. Pack down the paver base using a tamper. Use a level to make the base as level as you possibly can.


3. Set up your first row of blocks once your paver base is leveled. The first row is the most important, so make it straight and level and go slow as you set this first row around your base.


4. Add dirt or sand to pack in each level as you build your retaining wall. Apply a landscape adhesive between each row of block to make a free-standing wall.


5. Glue on the caps to your retaining wall in adding one. Make sure that you glue on the caps to the very top layer of block. Use the landscape adhesive to glue on the caps.