Rant: That time my mortar kept cracking in the Texas heat

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?

3 comments

3 Comments

tessa_murray5d ago

@mason_lopez is right, fifteen seconds soak is the magic number and I learned that the hard way too.

oscarc125d ago

My buddy tried six seconds and ruined his whole afternoon.

mason_lopez5d ago

Soaking them fifteen seconds makes all the difference in this heat.