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A foreman in Tacoma told me my mortar was too dry for the weather and it clicked | Bricklayers - HW Forums

A foreman in Tacoma told me my mortar was too dry for the weather and it clicked

We were laying a 12 foot garden wall last October and I was mixing my mud pretty stiff, like I always do. The foreman, a guy named Ray, walked over, squeezed a trowel full, and said 'You're gonna lose bond in three hours with this mix, it's 55 degrees and damp.' He was right, the first course started to sag by lunch. Now I always check the air temp and humidity before I even open a bag. Anyone else have a simple rule they changed after getting called out on site?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_james7mo ago

My old boss had a rule about cutting pressure treated lumber. He'd say to let it sit for a week after buying it before you make any final cuts. I thought it was just his weird habit until I built a set of steps that shrank a full half inch in every joint after two months. The whole thing got loose and creaky. Now I sticker everything in the garage for at least a few days, no matter how rushed the job seems. That kind of practical advice you only get from experience, right?

seth_green857mo ago

Wait, is a week long enough though? I've seen the really wet stuff from big box stores take months to stop moving. Those steps probably shrank because the center of the board was still soaked. Letting it sit is smart, but maybe the real trick is checking it with a moisture meter first. I learned that after a deck board cupped like a cereal bowl two days after I nailed it down.

charlie_fisher456mo ago

You ever try the plastic wrap trick? I'll wrap the ends of fresh PT boards with that cling film stuff for a few days. It slows down the drying so the outside doesn't shrink faster than the wet core and split. A moisture meter is the real move, but that wrap trick saved a few deck boards for me last season.