I'm working a retaining wall job down in Smithville, stacked sandstone. I kept a rough count in my head but never expected to actually hit a round number. At 4:30 Friday I set the last row and my tally hit exactly 10,004 bricks. My foreman laughed and said I should buy a lottery ticket. Has anyone else hit a weird milestone on a job that caught you off guard like that?
I had an old brick wall on a house near Toledo where the joints were crumbling bad. My usual portland mix felt too hard for the soft old bricks, so I went with a lime putty mix for the first time. Mixed it on a hot day and the stuff stayed workable way longer than I expected, which threw off my timing a bit. The final result looked more like the original mortar, but I am not sure how it will hold up over a few winters. Has anyone here stuck with lime mortar for longer projects and seen how it handles freeze thaw cycles?
I was working a job in Austin last August and the mortar was crusting over before I could even lay three bricks. I tried spraying water on the mix but that just made it sloppy. Then an old timer walked by and told me to lay a wet burlap sack over my board between batches. I thought he was kidding but I gave it a shot and it honestly kept the mortar workable for twice as long. The burlap holds moisture without soaking the mix so you don't get that watery mess. I used a cheap sack from Home Depot for like 5 bucks and it lasted the whole week. Has anyone else tried this or do you just mix smaller batches?
He told me my mud was too wet and that I was "making soup, not brickwork." I cut back the water by about 20% and my joints stopped sagging overnight. Anybody else get told their mix is off and had it totally change their results?
I was working on a curved garden wall last spring and kept getting gaps at the perp ends. This guy Frank, been bricklaying 40 years, watched me for a minute and said "you gotta butter your own ends every time, never rely on the other brick." I thought I was saving time by just slapping mortar on the face. Turned out he was dead right because 3 of my first 6 bricks had hollow spots where they met. I had to pull down about 4 feet of work and redo it. Now I spend an extra 10 seconds per brick but the joints come out solid every time. Anyone else have old heads give you advice that seemed slow but actually worked?
I was laying brick on a retaining wall near Lake Erie and the mortar kept stiffening up in 15 minutes flat, took me three tries to figure out the water straight from the hose was near freezing. Has anyone else had mortar set too fast from cold water or was I just being dumb?
I was working on a retaining wall in my backyard last spring and decided to use Type S mortar because it was on sale at the local yard. My neighbor who's been laying brick for 30 years told me to stick with Type N for anything load bearing. I didn't listen and went ahead with the quick-set stuff. Three months later, I noticed cracks forming along the bottom two courses and a slight bow in the middle. Turns out the Type S is way too rigid for soil movement and doesn't let the wall breathe like Type N does. I had to tear the whole thing down last weekend and start over, cost me an extra $200 in materials and a full Saturday. Has anyone else made this mistake with mortar types on garden walls?
I've been laying brick for about 8 years now and I kept having this problem where the corners of my garden walls would crack within a few months. Drove me nuts. Last week I was working on a job down on Maple Street and watched a guy from the crew next door lay his corners. He was buttering the head joints way thicker than me and letting the brick settle into the mortar instead of tapping it down hard. Turns out I was smashing the brick flat which pushed all the mortar out of the corner joint. After 3 tries with his method my corners held up perfect through a rainstorm and a freeze. Anyone else had this happen or am I the only one who was over-tapping?
I always thought those battery-powered vacuum lifters were overpriced gimmicks until my helper threw his back out on a 500-block job and we had to finish in two days. Has anyone else had a tool they swore was useless save their bacon?
I learned bricklaying from my uncle in Pittsburgh back in 2007. He swore by soaking every brick in a water trough for at least 12 hours before using them. Said it stopped them from sucking the moisture out of the mortar too fast. I did that for almost 10 years. Then I worked a job in Arizona where the temps hit 105 and the mortar was drying before I could even butter the next brick. A guy from a crew next door told me to just mist them with a hose right before laying. Tried it and it worked way better. The mortar stayed workable longer and I didn't have to plan a whole day ahead. Now I just keep a spray bottle on my belt and give each brick a quick mist. Has anyone else switched methods based on climate or did you stick with what you were taught?
I was at Home Depot in Nashville picking up some Type S, and I saw this mixing paddle with the spiral design for about $80. I had always just used the basic $20 one from the rental section. After three wheelbarrow loads of mud, my arms were done and the mix still had lumps. I finally caved and bought the good paddle last Friday. First batch came out smooth as peanut butter in about half the time. The money saved on my elbow alone was worth it. Anyone else had a simple tool upgrade that made a big difference on a job?
I counted up my daily tallies and realized I crossed that mark without even noticing. Has anyone else tracked a big number like that and found it sneaks up on you?
Used a $12 Marshalltown knockoff for 3 years and it worked fine until I tried buttering brick in 95 degree heat last Thursday and the handle just twisted clean off. Anyone else find certain tools just give up when conditions get rough?
This guy named Pete who's been laying brick since the 80s saw me mixing on site and told me I was using too much water. He said my slop was gonna shrink crack bad in the heat. I was skeptical cause I've been doing it my way for a year but I tried his ratio (3 sand to 1 cement with less water) and the bricks actually stayed put better. Has anyone else gotten a tip from a veteran that totally flipped your process?
I been laying brick for 15 years. Always buttered the head joints with the trowel flat. Old guy named Ray at a job site in Austin told me I was doing it backwards. He showed me to hold the trowel at an angle and flick the mortar in. Felt weird at first. But my joints filled way better. No more picking out loose mortar the next day. Anyone else get a tip that made you re-learn the basics?
A old timer at the supply yard laughed and pointed it out when he saw me loading up, and now I can't believe nobody ever said anything after 40k bricks.
I've been tracking my daily counts since January and I just passed 50,000 bricks laid for the year yesterday on a job in Manchester. That's way more than I thought I could do by myself working solo. Has anyone else hit a number like this and felt surprised by what you can pull off?
He insisted I needed type N for a retaining wall I was doing near Richmond, but I already knew the ground there stays wet half the year and type S would hold up way better, so why do folks feel the need to bark orders at strangers?
I switched to a portable mixer about 5 years ago after a big foundation job in Phoenix wrecked my back. The speed is unreal, but I still think the old way gave you a better feel for the mix. Anyone else still do it the old way for small patches?
It was a 14-inch diamond blade on a Milwaukee saw, and it just exploded halfway through a 4-inch thick paver. I had to stop the whole job and drive 45 minutes to the nearest supplier for a replacement. Anyone have a better method for cutting thick stone without risking this again?
For years I'd just use a wheelbarrow and a hoe, but on a 10,000 brick job in Phoenix last summer, I was spending the first 3 hours just mixing. I finally bought a portable mortar mixer from a guy named Carl at a yard sale, and now I can do the same amount in 45 minutes. Anyone else switch from hand mixing and have a brand they actually trust?
We were repointing an old brick wall on a house near 72nd Street last fall, and the homeowner, Frank, kept asking if we could just fill the weep holes to 'make it look cleaner'. I explained they're there for drainage, but he was really pushing it. He said his buddy told him it was fine to seal them with mortar on his own garage and now he has a constant damp smell inside. Has anyone else had to talk a client out of a bad idea like that?
I was helping a friend on a patio job in Denver last summer and watched him add all the water to his mix at once. The mortar set up way too fast and was a pain to work with. I always add about three quarters of the water first, mix it for a minute, then slowly add the rest until it's right. It gives you a much more consistent batch and saves your back from fighting stiff mud. How do you guys handle your mixing to keep it workable?
They're doing a full repoint on the exterior brick. The lime mortar mix they're using is spot on, matches the original color perfectly. Saw them using a 3/8 inch joint for the repointing work. The foreman said they sourced the sand locally to get the right texture. Took some pictures of the tooling, really clean concave finish. Anyone know a good supplier for that type of pre-mixed lime mortar around here?
Has anyone else found a tool that paid for itself that fast on a specific project?