Cordwood adds an interesting element to a glass wall.
Building a cordwood glass wall may seem like a daunting task, especially since cord wood is an unusual building material. However, as with any construction process, a cordwood glass wall falls under the same category as any other construction project--keeping the wall straight, plumb and square is the most important objective. The average do-it-yourselfer can complete a cordwood glass wall in one to two days, depending on the size and scope of the project.
Instructions
1. Install a treated 2-by-8 on the base of the floor that will receive the wall, whether exterior or interior. Check each row of cordwood with a nylon string to make sure that the wall is straight. Lay down a 2-inch bed of log chinking using a trowel and stack your first row of cordwood onto the chinking bed. Fill smaller spaces will small cordwood. Stack your bottom sill of cordwood about 36 to 48 inches high, filling in between each row with 2 to 4 inches of log chinking.
2. Install a treated 2-by-8 at the 36- to 48-inch sill level and attach with 3-inch wood screws and a screwdriver. Make sure that the treated wood is installed level. If your cordwood is out of level, add some smaller sticks of wood to level the board up and fill the gaps with chinking.
3. Lay down a 2-inch bed of glass block mortar on top of the treated wood, and add glass block spacers into the mortar. The spacers will help keep the block joints evenly spaced. Make are that your first row of blocks is centered into the wall opening. Set your first row of blocks in place by buttering the block joints with a square trowel and placing the blocks onto the spacers. There may be a bit of mortar that squeezes out, but just trim it away with the trowel.
4. Fill in the spaces on each side of the glass block with cordwood. For example, if your entire wall is 10 feet long, make the glass block window 6 feet, leaving 2 feet on each side of the blocks for more cordwood. You will also want to leave a 12-inch space between the top of the glass blocks and the ceiling, as well. You will fill in this area with cordwood.
5. Fill in around the glass block portion of the wall with cordwood, and fill the gaps with log chink. Allow the entire wall to dry for 24 hours, and seal the cordwood with a polyurethane wood sealer and a paintbrush.
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