Had a chimney job go sideways last month in Austin

I was flashing around a crown on a 3 story house and the mortar started setting way faster than usual because it was 98 degrees. The entire section I laid had hairline cracks by the time I finished the next row. Any of you guys found a good trick for keeping mortar workable in extreme heat?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_burns6d ago

Old timers called it "keeping the mud shady," and @william_garcia is spot on about evaporation control.

william_garcia7d ago

Respectfully, I see it different on that "mortar started setting way faster" piece. In my experience, the real trick isn't just keeping it workable, it's controlling the evaporation rate before you even lay it. Your mileage may vary, but throwing a wet tarp over the mud pile and spraying the bricks down right before you butter them buys you way more time than any additive ever did.

knight.dylan7d ago

That "spraying the bricks down before you butter them" part speaks to me... I had an old timer hand me a soaked brick once and said "this is the way." Took me a whole summer to figure out he wasn't just messing with me, ha.