My contractor tells me it is "no problem" to wire two kitchen
walls that are exterior, full brick walls in a 1935-constructed
home. How exactly is this done to meet NEC?

   Your question is a bit open. I am taking it that you have an
older brick home that has solid brick walls. This type of wall
would normally be built as follows; first teir of bricks should
be layed inside to outside and side by side. The second tier of
bricks would be layed along the inside wall long ways then layed
outside to inside side by side. Then the third tier would be
repeated as the first tier of bricks and so on and so on.

   If this is you wall construction you have several methods of
wiring this style of solid brick wall. The following would not be
the only wiring methods but may be what your electrician has in
mind.

   If a surface wiring style is desired, then usually EMT or
Metal Wire Mold or Nonmetallic Wire mold would be the most common
wiring styles. EMT is legal but not very pretty in a dwelling
setting. The EMT would be mounted to the wall by straps running
from the attic or crawl space. Non metallic sheathed cable
{Romex} is usually installed across the attic or crawl space from
the panel to the EMT conduit. A Conduit connector is installed to
protect the sharp edge of the conduit from cutting the Romex
cable. A surface mount metal box is usually installed called a
handy box to contain a single switch or single duplex receptacle.
 
    If a metal or nonmetallic Wire Mold wiring style is used
then the Wire Mold uses Wire Mold products for straps, switch or
receptacle boxes. This Wire Mold is loosely called Sunday go to
meeting Conuduit. Wire Mold comes in many different sizes to
accomodate different size wires or cables. This Wire Mold is
wired much like normal conduit only where bends are installed in
Wire Mold there are fitting making square turns. This Wire Mold
is compact allowing less visual contact, is more pleasing to the
eye, makes less impact on the existing structure such as damage
requiring plaster, tough con installation, drywall with slatting,
etc.

   Another wiring method in this type of solid wall is to use a
cement cut saw blade, cutting two parallel slices in the brick.
Then using an air chisel, or hammer and chisel to chip out a
channel to embed conduit in the brick. If this wiring style is
used then the conduit must be nonmetallic conduit such as Sch 40
PVC. The channels are cut into the brick from the ceiling or
floor again running nonmetallic sheathed cable. Often type THWN
is installed in the PVC conduit to a junction box in the crawl or
attic, then in that junction box the conduit style wire is
converted to Romex while in the attic and crawl. Do not bury EMT
inside a masonry wall. Once the conduit is installed inside the
channels that you cut then that channel is usually filled with a
product such as Tough Con which is a product designed to readily
adhere to the existing brick but leave a consistancy of plaster.
This Tough Con is usually then installed in a manner like plaster
making a new smooth wall finish for the finished product to paint.

  Often such as in kitchens Romex is able to be fished in the
cabinet cavities to almost reach where the receptacle or switch
is to be installed. Then a short piece of Wire Mold is installed
to protect the Romex where exposed on the surface of the wall,
and again Wire Mold boxes are often used to contain the ends of
the wire and the receptacle or switch.

   At least this will give you some idea of the wiring styles
commonly used to solve the special wiring conditions of a solid
brick wall.

    You can click on wiring a dwelling then on the section
referring to wiring a kitchen to discover many more rules of
wiring in a kitchen such as GFI protection, not mixing
receptacles in the kitchen, nook, dining, or pantry with
lighting, fixed appliances, or anything in any other rooms.

Hope this helps

Wg

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