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Bad mortar batch almost cost me a whole wall in Tacoma
Last Tuesday, we mixed a full pallet of mortar for a retaining wall job. Looked fine, felt fine, but by Thursday afternoon the joints were crumbling. Had to demo 4 courses and start over. Turns out the sand at the supplier got wet and sat for a while. Cost me an extra 6 hours and a reorder of materials. Any of you ever had a bad sand batch sneak through? How do you test it before you lay a single brick?
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karen_sanchez491mo ago
Funny how most problems come down to one little thing you can't see until it's too late, like bad sand. I've noticed that pattern with a lot of stuff, not just masonry. Last month my car's coolant looked clean but it was eating the gasket from the inside, same deal. You almost gotta trust your nose and feel more than your eyes sometimes. For mortar, I'd grab a handful, rub it between my fingers, and if it smells musty or clumps weird, I'd pour vinegar on a small test patch and watch for fizzing. If nothing happens, that sand is dead, no reaction means it's no good for binding.
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