That time I swore mortar mix didn't matter and got proven wrong hard

I used to buy the cheapest bagged mortar I could find at Home Depot, figured it's all just sand and cement anyway. Then last month on a retaining wall job in Albany, the stuff wouldn't hold a corner after 3 days and started cracking. A buddy dragged me to a masonry supply place and made me try Type N from a real brand. The difference was night and day - it stuck better, set up more even, and I didn't have to baby it. Cost me like $3 more per bag but saved me a whole day of rework. Anyone else think cheap mix is fine until it bites you on something bigger?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor.amy2mo ago

Yeah that "it's all just sand and cement" thinking is EXACTLY what got me a few years back on a walkway. I used the cheap stuff from the big orange store and it crumbled on me after one freeze-thaw cycle. You're right about the difference with Type N from a real supplier, the aggregate is graded better and it just works smoother. For small stuff like a mailbox base you can get away with cheap mix but anything load bearing or structural is a no go. The extra few bucks is just insurance against having to tear it all out later.

cora_scott772mo ago

Hear that about the freeze-thaw cycle. That's what scares me. Did you notice the cheap mix just felt wrong when you were mixing it? Like it was gritty or wouldn't blend right? I had a bag once that was basically hard chunks I had to break up by hand. Like they didn't even store it dry.

evan_burns952mo ago

Got burned the exact same way on a patio in Rochester last fall. Used the cheap stuff from a big box store thinking I was saving cash, watched the whole thing crack and shift within two months. A local mason told me to try a real Type S from a supply house and it was like night and day. The difference in how it mixed and how it grabbed the blocks was insane. Now I tell everyone that cheap mortar is fine for something like a little garden border but anything with weight or height needs the good stuff. That extra three bucks is nothing compared to pulling apart a failing wall later.

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