violar35•1mo agoMost Upvoted

My first brick wall had gaps so bad after 2 days I had to take it all down

Started my first solo job last spring for a small shed foundation. I was so proud of my work until the homeowner pointed out daylight through the mortar joints. Turns out I was rushing the buttering and not checking for full coverage on every brick. Spent a whole Saturday tearing it apart and redoing it. Has anyone else had to redo a wall because of mortar gaps?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimmurphy1mo ago

That buttering technique is probably the number one thing that trips up beginners! One trick that helped me a ton was making sure I applied mud to the head joint on the brick itself instead of just relying on what oozes out from the bed joint. Also a little dab on each end of the brick before you set it gives you way more control over those vertical gaps. Sounds like you learned the hard way like most of us have.

reed.elliot1mo ago

@kimmurphy at least your mistakes are keeping the mortar companies in business.

phoenix2461mo ago

Funny how that translates to so much more than brickwork. @reed.elliot you see the same thing with drywall mud or even caulk in a tube. People gob it on thick thinking more is better, then spend twice the time cleaning up the mess. I've watched guys do the same with wood glue on a framing job squeeze out everywhere and then complain about the sanding. It's like everyone has to learn the hard way that a little bit in the right place beats a lot in the wrong one.