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That cold snap last week wrecked my mortar...
Was working on a garage foundation in Westbrook and the temp dropped faster than I expected. Froze solid overnight and now the homeowner's asking if it'll hold. Anyone else deal with frost damage like this?
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emma_clark19d ago
Blairtaylor's right about getting it in writing. I had a job up in Standish a few years back where the homeowner swore up and down it was fine, said they didn't want to pay for a tear-out. Six months later the whole top course was spalling off in chunks. Ended up costing them double what the original repair would have been, and they still tried to blame me. I'd also check the mortar itself - if it's got that powdery, sandy feel on the surface when you rub it, that's a dead giveaway the freeze already killed the bond deep down. No amount of latex is gonna fix that.
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the_patricia27d ago
Wait did you really let it freeze before it had a chance to set properly? I gotta say I don't think that's a job you can just hope holds. That mortar is compromised from the start if it froze before curing. You probably have micro cracks all through it that will get worse every freeze thaw cycle this winter. I'd be pushing the homeowner to let you rip it out and start over, cause patching frost damage almost never works long term. Better to eat the cost now than have it fail in a few months and deal with a lawsuit.
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blairtaylor27d ago
Listen to @the_patricia, she's right on the money. Did you actually check the mortar before you laid it that day, or was it already starting to set up weird from the cold? Because if it hit 32 degrees before it had a chance to cure for at least 24-48 hours, the freeze-thaw cycle is gonna wreck it fast. I've seen guys try to patch frost damaged mortar with epoxy or latex modifiers, but it never really bonds right and you end up with a bigger headache down the road. Honestly, if the homeowner is pushing back on you ripping it out, I'd get it in writing that they're aware of the risk and that you're not liable for future cracks or failures. Cover your ass, man.
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