I was laying a herringbone patio in Cincinnati last month and the homeowner insisted on using a mortar mix with a 'special additive' he bought online. It set up like concrete in 20 minutes and we had to tear out half a day's work.

3 comments

3 Comments

James is completely right about testing the mix first. We had a client bring us some "magic" sealer for their deck that turned everything milky white. Now I make them sign off on any weird products they supply. Watching mortar set up that fast must have been a nightmare, especially with herringbone where every piece needs perfect placement. Homeowners don't realize how their online finds can wreck a whole project timeline.

jamesm3822d ago

Gotta disagree a bit on this one. The real problem was using a product nobody tested first. Any fast setting mix, special or not, needs a small test batch to check the working time. Ripping out the work is brutal, but that's on the crew for not checking the mix with a sample before committing a whole section. Homeowners buy weird stuff online all the time, and it's our job to manage that risk.

the_paul22d ago

Man, that is just brutal. I felt a physical pain in my back just reading that. There's nothing worse than watching good work turn into a permanent mistake right in front of you. Solidarity, that sounds like an absolutely miserable half day.