Found a trick for keeping mortar from drying out in this Texas heat...

I'm working a job down in Austin right now and it's been over 100 every day this week. My mortar was setting up way too fast in the wheelbarrow. Last Tuesday I started putting a wet burlap sack over the pile between loads and it kept it workable for almost 45 minutes longer. Nothing fancy just an old sack and a bucket of water. Has anyone else tried this or got a better way to handle hot weather?

3 comments

3 Comments

karenh5619d ago

That Austin heat is brutal, I feel you. I was laying tile in San Antonio last August and had the same issue. I started doing exactly what you described with the wet burlap, but I also kept the mortar bag itself in the shade under a wet towel. Another thing that helped me was using a little ice in the mixing water, not a lot, just a couple handfuls to cool it down without thinning the mix too much. It bought me maybe another 20 minutes before it started to stiffen up. And if you can swing it, a cheap spray bottle to mist the pile between loads works wonders. Just watch your timing so you arent adding too much water and making it soupy.

paige33118d ago

Whoa hold on, @karenh56 I think you got your lines crossed. Laying tile in San Antonio last August was me, not you. I was the one bitching about the heat down there. You were the one who replied to my post back then with that wet burlap trick. But hey, the ice in the mixing water is solid advice. I tried that after you told me about it. Worked surprising good. Kept the mortar workable way longer than I expected.

finley_gonzalez4919d ago

Misting the pile every few loads saved my hide more times than I care to count down here.