My mentor swore by wetting bricks before laying them, I think he was wrong

An old mason I worked with in Denver 2 years ago insisted on soaking every brick in a bucket before laying it. He said it kept the mortar from drying too fast and cracking. I followed his advice for about 3 months and kept getting bricks that slid around and mortar that was too loose. Once I stopped wetting them and just adjusted my mix a bit, my rows stayed straight and I cut my labor time by almost half. Has anyone else found that old trick doesn't hold up in drier climates?

3 comments

3 Comments

max41517d ago

Bet on that. Modern mortar just doesn't need it.

seth68322d ago

Man that's rough. I've seen the same thing happen with guys who learned masonry back east and never adjusted for the dry air out here.

xena122d ago

I read somewhere that the whole wetting bricks thing came from a time when mortar had way more lime in it. That old mix actually needed the extra moisture, but modern stuff doesn't act the same. Makes sense that it'd go wrong in a dry climate since the water just makes everything sloppy.