lily97•1mo ago

Watched a crew lay 80 year old reclaimed bricks on a church wall near Reading last Saturday

Those old soft reds had a crumbly texture and uneven edges that forced the masons to butter every joint twice, which made me wonder if modern wire-cut bricks are actually harder to work with because they don't grip the mortar the same way, has anyone else dealt with this on restoration jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

kevin_schmidt971mo ago

Wait, I always thought new bricks would be easier since they're all uniform and clean, but you're making me see it differently now. That double buttering thing makes total sense with the old rough ones grabbing hold.

ramirez.sage1mo ago

Can't believe they actually double-buttered every joint on that wall @kevin_schmidt97, that's wild. I always figured old bricks would be a nightmare but that grip factor sounds like a total game changer.