Talked to this old timer Gary on a job last week and he said using premix lets you focus on the pattern instead of the mix. He laid a perfect herringbone wall in half the time I could do with bag mix. Anybody else switch and never look back?
Had a job last month repointing a retaining wall in Portland. This kid straight out of trade school watched me mix and said my ratio was off. I got defensive at first. Told him I've been doing this 15 years. He pulled out his phone and showed me the manufacturer spec for that specific brick type. I checked it after he left. He was dead on. Made me feel like an old dog who can't learn new tricks. Anyone else had a younger guy call you out and actually be right?
I was up in Spokane last month helping a buddy on a 40-foot retaining wall job. Everyone was pushing rapid set mix saying it saves time, but I watched three guys struggle to tool the joints before it crusted over. We lost almost 10 feet of wall to cracking because the stuff set unevenly in the summer heat. Am I the only one who thinks regular portland cement is still the way to go for anything over 20 feet?
I was mixing type S mortar for a chimney repair in Tulsa and the paddle just gave out mid-spin. Flew across the driveway and scared the homeowner's dog. Anybody had that happen with a cheap paddle from a big box store?
Figured he was just stuck in his ways but tried it on a patio job in Tucson last summer and had zero cracking in 95 degree heat. Anyone else do this or is it just for desert climates?
I was grabbing supplies at a site in Phoenix last Thursday and watched this old timer lay out like 15 bricks on a board, butter them all, then slap them down one after another. He said it saves him about 20 minutes per wall section. Has anyone else tried pre-buttering like that or is it just asking for a mess?
Switched to bag mix about 6 months ago after fighting with pre-mixed for years. The difference in consistency is night and day, especially on a hot day where the pre-mixed would just slide. Anyone else have better luck with dry mix?
Old timer named Joe at the job site said he lets his mortar slake for a full 20 minutes and I always rushed it before, but after trying it my last three walls came out way cleaner, anyone else find that extra wait time makes a difference?
Thought it was a waste of time. First hot day in July my wall looked like a sponge. Mortar dried too fast. Had to tear down 3 courses. Never skipping that step again. Anyone else learn that lesson the hard way?
I've been laying brick for 24 years now, and last summer in Dallas I hit a wall. My mix just kept cracking on the south facing wall no matter what I did. After four failed sections and wasting about 300 bucks in materials, I tried wetting the bricks way more than usual. My old mentor used to say "soak em till they drip" and I always thought he was being dramatic. Once I dunked each brick in a bucket for 15 seconds before laying, the cracking stopped cold. Has anyone else dealt with mortar issues in the summer heat or am I just late to this party?
I was picking up supplies at the yard last Thursday and overheard this woman talking to the sales guy about her retaining wall. She said the guy who did it three years ago just stacked the bricks tight with no gaps for water to escape. She figured she saved money until water built up behind the wall and pushed it over last month. Now she's looking at a full tear-out and rebuild that's gonna run her close to $2,500. I felt bad for her but it made me think about how many corners get cut just to win a bid. My crew always puts in weep holes every 3 feet on any wall over 2 feet tall. Has anyone else dealt with fixing a job that was done without proper drainage?
I tried my buddy's wickes trowel last week on a brick wall job and it held the mortar way better than my old one, no more dropping blobs every few seconds. Anyone else find a specific trowel shape that just clicked for them?
Old dude named Jerry on the new construction site downtown watched me lay a row and said my mortar was soup. Told me it loses 20% strength if it's too wet. Never even thought about it like that before. Anyone else get called out on a habit they didn't know was bad?
I've been laying brick for about 7 years now, always just used the tip of my trowel to finish joints. Figured a jointer was for new guys who couldn't get a clean line. Then last month on a big retaining wall job in Austin, my forearm cramped up so bad after 3 hours I couldn't grip anything. Borrowed a jointer from the guy next to me and finished that wall in half the time with way cleaner lines. Any of y'all hold out on a tool for years before finally giving in?
I compared premix against field mixed Type S on a retaining wall job last month in Phoenix. The premix cracked in 4 spots after a week while the field mix held solid through a 110 degree day. Premix is fine for little garden walls but anything over 4 feet high needs the real stuff. The sand to cement ratio in the bag just doesn't cut it for heavy load. Anyone else had premix fail on them like that?
I hit 500 bricks laid this week on a garden wall job in Cleveland. Didnt realize I was moving that fast until I counted. My lower back is screaming tonight but the wall looks solid. Anyone else ever surprise themselves with a weekly count like that?
I spent two years refusing to buy from Northwest Brick Supply because I figured all their stuff was overpriced fancy junk. Then I had to rush a job near the Port of Tacoma last month and the usual spot was out of the old red blend I needed. Drove over there out of desperation and found they actually stock a local reclaimed line for 15% less than my regular guy. The color match was dead on and the bricks had zero chips in the whole pallet. Has anyone else had their mind changed by a supplier they swore they'd never use?
I was working on a retaining wall last Saturday in the backyard of a house near downtown Nashville. This retired guy walks by, watches me for a minute, and says "you're rushing it." I mean, I thought I was being careful, you know? I had already mixed my mortar too wet and was trying to beat the sun. He pointed out how I was forcing the joints instead of letting the trowel find its own way. Made me realize I've been treating repointing like a race instead of just matching the old work's rhythm. Now I'm paying more attention to how the mortar feels in my hand before I even start. Has anyone else had a stranger walk up and give you advice that actually changed how you lay brick?
I been laying brick for over a decade and it just hit me last Tuesday on a job in Cleveland. Everyone talks about keeping your mortar consistent but nobody mentions that the water temperature matters way more than they say. I was out on a cold morning and my mix kept setting up too fast, so I grabbed hot water from the jobsite sink instead of cold. Made a huge difference - the mortar stayed workable a good 20 minutes longer without getting crusty. My foreman walked over and asked what I did different because my joints looked cleaner than the other guys. I checked my mix with a thermometer and the sweet spot seems to be around 70 degrees. Has anyone else played around with water temp or am I late to the party on this?
He said 'you're making soup, not mortar' and walked off. I cut back the water by about 20% and my joints are way tighter now. Has anyone else had to relearn something basic after years on the job?
I walked a job site near Austin last Thursday and saw a new kid mixing way too wet because he was rushing. That wall is gonna fail in a year with all that shrinkage, has anyone else had to fire guys over basic stuff like this?
I was working on a retaining wall outside Austin last month and this old foreman named Rick saw me buttering all my head joints before laying. He ripped into me saying I was wasting time and should just tool them wet after. I get his point about speed but I feel like buttering gives me better control and less voids later. What do you guys do on walls that need to look clean on both sides?
She wanted me to tear out a herringbone walkway I just finished near the front steps because the angles hurt her eyes. Do you ever get folks who just don't get the craft part of this job?
Was working on a house over in Maplewood last week, a little ranch from the 50s. Tried to rush a tricky corner where the chimney meets the gable and my bond was all off. Ended up pulling out about 30 bricks and re-laying them, took way longer than I thought it would. Has anyone else had their biggest time suck come from a tiny detail like that?
I was 20 and thought he was just being slow, but after a dry August job in Phoenix where half my mortar cracked within a week, I realized he knew what he was talking about. Has anyone else had an old school tip save their backside?