My foreman swore by wetting the bricks, so I tried it on a retaining wall last summer

Honestly, I was skeptical at first because everyone I worked with always laid dry. But this old guy, Tom, who's been laying since the 70s, kept saying it helps the mortar bond better in hot weather. So on a 90 degree day in Phoenix, I soaked a batch for a small garden wall. The mortar stayed workable way longer and I didn't get any cracking like I usually do on those days. Anyone else swear by this or was it just the weather that saved me?

2 comments

2 Comments

brookep624d ago

Soaking bricks in Phoenix sounds like a recipe for a mud pie, not a retaining wall. I can just picture you out there with a hose, turning your job site into a slip 'n slide. At least the mortar stayed put, I guess. Next time try throwing in some ice cubes, make it a real party.

nancy_davis4d ago

Ngl, that ice cube comment has me thinking. Maybe I should start a new trend: frozen brick hydration for premium mortar performance. Tom would probably laugh his ass off if he saw me dumping a bag of ice into the wheelbarrow. Honestly, though, if it works in Phoenix heat, I'm not gonna knock it. You do what you gotta do to keep that mortar from turning into dry dust before you even get it on the trowel.