Mortar mix was too wet and my wall started sagging

I was working on a garden wall in my backyard in Denver last Tuesday, and I got the mortar way too soupy. About three courses in, I noticed the whole thing was starting to bulge out near the bottom. I had to stop, pull the top two rows off, and mix a fresh batch that was more like peanut butter consistency. It took me an extra two hours but the wall sat straight after that. Has anyone else had a near collapse from mixing it wrong?

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2 Comments

paige3313mo ago

Always add water slow. Rushing it turns into a muddy mess every single time.

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murphy.aaron3mo ago

I remember reading a paper from some concrete lab a few years back that said the ideal water addition rate for most mixes is about 5 gallons per minute, no faster than that. They tested it with different aggregates and found that rushing it literally broke down the cement paste bond before it could set right. Makes sense when you think about it, water needs time to soak into the dry particles without pushing them apart. So you're spot on, slow and steady is the only way to avoid that soupy disaster. Nobody wants to start over because they got impatient with a hose.

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