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Old foreman told me to wet my bricks in July heat. I fought him on it for a week.

I was working a wall near Phoenix last summer and this old timer kept telling me to dunk every brick before laying it. I thought he was just being old school and slow. The mortar was drying out way too fast on me and I kept getting these weak joints that would crumble if you looked at them wrong. After three days of fighting it I finally tried wetting the bricks like he said. It slowed me down at first but the mortar actually stayed workable long enough to strike it clean. That wall has held up perfect through two monsoon seasons now. Has anyone else had a simple trick from a old guy that you ignored for too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

williams.kim14d ago

Jump right into it. Wet bricks are non-negotiable in dry heat. Suck water out of the mortar before it cures and you get dust, not bond. One time I skipped it on a block wall in August. Next spring I could push a screwdriver right through the joints. Had to tear out six feet and redo it. Old timer was right.

avery_lopez13d ago

Good point @williams.kim, but I'd add damp not dripping wet.

robin_roberts8413d ago

Used to think dry was dry, you know? But that screwdriver story (man, that's rough) hit home. Last summer I was laying a patio and the mortar cracked like crazy in the heat. Now I'm wondering if damp bricks would've saved me the headache. Guess that old timer knew what he was talking about.