Pro tip: stop soaking your bricks before laying them

I saw a guy on my last job dunk every brick in a bucket of water before setting it and it slowed him down big time. Modern clay bricks are fired at high temps and don't soak up nearly as much water as old ones, so it's basically wasted effort. Has anyone else noticed this or am I the only one who thinks it's a myth now?

3 comments

3 Comments

danielnelson1mo ago

Were you watching residential or commercial? Makes a big difference. On commercial jobs with high suction brick like some of the cheaper stuff from certain yards, skipping the soak can actually cause the mortar to set too fast and crack. Did you check if the guy's brick was actually dry or more porous than standard?

lilyp371mo ago

Did you try the water test on those bricks yourself? I had the same thing happen on a small patio job last spring. I wet a brick and it literally sucked the water dry in under a minute. That stuff soaked up moisture like a sponge no matter how hot it was fired. If you skip the soak on those porous ones you get mortar that crusts over before you can even butter the next brick.

spencer7821mo ago

Have you tried wetting the bricks down with a hose right before you lay them? I did that on a job with super thirsty bricks and it gave me way more time to work the mortar before it set.