Ran into an old foreman who changed how I look at mortar mix ratios

He told me he's been using a half scoop less sand per batch for 20 years and his walls never crack, so now I'm second guessing everything I learned about mix consistency - has anyone else tweaked their sand ratio and seen better results?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaron89617d ago

Your old foreman is probably onto something. I've seen guys go half a scoop light on sand and their walls stay tighter than a drum. Too much sand makes the mix fluffy and weak, it'll crack every time. A touch more lime can help too, but that sand trick is what really locks things in.

troy_wilson817d ago

Yeah man honestly @aaron896 nailed it. I've heard the same thing from a few old timers and they never steer you wrong on stuff like this. That little sand adjustment makes a huge difference, especially in hotter weather.