kimr74•27d ago

Been buttering my joints wrong for years, apparently

I was helping my buddy on a chimney rebuild in Springfield, and he asked why I was putting so much mortar on the trowel. I told him that's how my uncle taught me, a big fat scoop for speed. He just shook his head and showed me his method: a thinner, more even spread. Tried it on the next course and not only did I lay 50 bricks in the same time, but my wrist didn't feel like it was going to fall off. The squeeze-out was way cleaner too, almost no cleanup. Has anyone else had a basic technique they were doing wrong for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

skyler_jackson2727d ago

Man, that reminds me of when I first started using a chalk line. I'd snap it hard and fast like I saw in movies. Ended up with these wavy, blurry lines every time. My old foreman finally told me to just lift it straight up and let it drop. One clean snap. The line was perfect and sharp. Felt like a total goof for overcomplicating it.

violar3527d agoTop Commenter

Remember my first tile job where I thought more thinset meant better hold. Spent half the day cleaning ooze out of the grout lines and the tiles were all uneven. Watched a pro do it with about half the material and perfect coverage. Sometimes you don't know you're working against yourself until you see the right way.

wyatt_mitchell2627d ago

Working against yourself" seems a bit strong. It's just thinset. So you had to clean some out and the tiles weren't perfect. Did the floor fall apart? Probably not. Most DIY fixes are about getting it done, not some museum piece. The pro way is cleaner, sure, but calling the other way working against yourself makes it sound like a total failure. It was just messy.