Why does everyone act like a perfectly level mortar joint matters more than actual adhesion?

I was on a job last week in Cleveland with this crew who spent 20 minutes checking levels on a garden wall. Meanwhile they barely buttered the ends of the bricks. Half the joints looked dry and crumbly. I get that straight lines look nice but if that mortar isn't bonding right you're gonna have loose bricks in a year. Ive seen too many walls fall apart because people focused on looks over grip. Anyone else notice this on job sites?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie_white2d ago

barely buttered the ends" is exactly it. I swear some folks would rather stare at a level than feel if the mortar is grabbing. Had a retaining wall here in Cleveland that was dead straight but started leaning after one freeze thaw cycle because they left dry spots. The look gets the photo op, but the grip does the work. That wall's gonna be a loose pile of bricks before you know it.

alex_johnson2d agoMost Upvoted

Man @jamie_white, you NAILED it, that wall is doomed for sure.

felixlee1d ago

Guilty as charged I spent three hours once making sure a planter box was laser level and then realized I forgot to wet the bricks first. Mortar just flaked off like a bad sunburn. That Cleveland crew is building a future pile of rubble with a nice straight top row.