Pro tip: I was soaking my bricks wrong for 15 years

I was at a job site with an old timer named Jerry and he asked why my bricks looked wetter on one end. He said I was over-soaking them by leaving them in a tub overnight. Turns out a quick 10 minute dunk is all you need. Any longer and the water sits in the core too long and messes with your mortar bond. I had been wondering why some walls had tiny cracks after a season or two. Anyone else learn a basic thing way later than they should have?

2 comments

2 Comments

skyler_mitchell3d ago

Yeah I feel you on the "bro science" thing, but I've actually seen it go both ways. I had a guy I worked with who swore by the overnight soak and his walls were fine for years. Then another crew I helped out for a summer used the quick dip method and their mortar set way cleaner. Hard to say what's legit when everyone's got their own way of doing things.

nina_clark3d ago

Wait is Jerry actually a mason with a license or just some guy who's been doing it forever with old habits? lol I've been soaking mine overnight for like 20 years and I've never had cracks in my walls. The whole "water sits in the core" thing sounds like bro science to me. Bricks are fired clay, they literally can't hold that much water inside them no matter how long you soak them. And a good mortar mix bonds to damp brick fine even if it's wetter on one end. I think the cracks you saw were probably from bad mortar mix or maybe your foundation settling, not from oversoaking. Honestly, Jerry probably just doesn't like hauling buckets of water around and made up an excuse to save time lol.