10 years of bricklaying before I learned you can't soak bricks in winter

I'm up in Minnesota and last December I was out on a job near Duluth. Temp was around 20F. I was soaking my bricks like I always do so the mortar doesn't dry too fast. Old timer walks by, stops, and just stares at me. He goes 'you know the water freezes inside those pores and then expands right?' I felt like an idiot. Had been doing that for over a decade every winter. How many of you adjust your brick soaking based on season or weather?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_anna8d ago

Man that's a rough lesson, I learned the hard way too here in Wisconsin.

sean_foster528d ago

In my three decades of laying block in Chicago, I actually stopped soaking bricks altogether about 15 years ago. @the_anna, I get why you'd think that's the way, but most modern mortar mixes don't need soaked bricks even in summer if you mist them after. That water freezing thing is real though, I've seen walls spall out from trapped moisture in spring. The problem is you were doing it the same way for ten years without thinking about the temperature or the specific mix you're using. Mortar technology changed a lot since the 70s and a lot of old school guys never caught up.