That one thing new guys mess up with mortar mixing

I keep seeing guys on sites dumping all their water in at once before adding the mix. That just makes a soupy mess you can't fix. I pour in about 2/3 of the water first, then add the mix, then the rest of the water bit by bit. Got that from an old timer in Portland who had been laying brick since the 70s. Anyone else notice this or am I just being picky?

3 comments

3 Comments

olivia_moore24d ago

Oh come on, is this really that big of a deal? I mean yeah it's sloppy but half the time the mix still comes out fine if you just stir it long enough. Plus you're acting like everyone on a jobsite is trying to win some award for perfect mortar texture.

ellioth3724d ago

Gotta say I agree more with that first lady in the thread though. Yeah it's not ideal when someone dumps water first but nine times out of ten if you just scrape the bottom good you can work those dry spots out. It's a messy job site not a lab experiment, and getting worked up over a pour order seems like a waste of energy when there's real problems to deal with like framing that's out of plumb.

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dakota41525d ago

Nah you're not being picky at all, that water dumping thing drives me nuts too. When they dump it all in first they end up with a puddle on top and dry powder underneath no matter how much they mix. So what's your trick for when you accidentally add too much water at the start, do you just toss in more dry mix or do you have a different fix for that? I've seen guys try to scoop out the extra water but that never works right.