kim693•23d ago

Vent: Got chewed out on a jobsite because my mortar mix was too wet on a 90 degree day

Foreman made me dump three wheelbarrows of mix after I tried to keep it workable in the sun at that Thornton townhouse complex, and now I always batch smaller loads with cold water - what do you guys do when it hits triple digits?

3 comments

3 Comments

lisaf3823d ago

I saw a YouTube video where a guy said mix your mortar with ice water on hot days. He filled a cooler with ice and water the night before. Then used that cold water for each batch. Keeps it workable way longer. Also heard some guys add a little lime to slow the set. Haven't tried that myself yet though.

phoenix_thompson410d ago

I've done the ice water trick on a 95 degree job and it bought me about 15 extra minutes of work time before it stiffened up. You ever try throwing a handful of Type S lime in there instead?

caleb26223d ago

Ice water just makes the mortar cold so it sweats condensation when it hits the hot air, then you're fighting water beading on the surface while you're trying to get a good bond. Lime works decent for slowing the set, but you mix it wrong and you're looking at soft crumbly joints that crack in six months. Saw a crew once who went heavy on the retarder on a hundred degree day and the mortar never fully set right, had to tear out two walls. Cold water is a bandaid, not a solution.