Old way: soaking bricks overnight. New way: just misting them 10 minutes before laying

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?

3 comments

3 Comments

christopherwilson25d ago

105 degrees?! Bro that's insane. I can't believe you were out there slinging brick in that kind of heat. I get cranky when it hits 85 here in Ohio. That Arizona guy saved your life with the spray bottle tip for real. I bet that old school soaking method would've been a total disaster in those temps. Respect for sticking it out on that job.

reeseperez25d ago

Nah man 85 degrees is pretty much bikini weather compared to that hellscape. The spray bottle trick was straight up wizardry though, I would've never thought to wet the mix down gradually like that. Old school method would've had that mortar turning into concrete before it even hit the trowel. Honestly I'm just glad I didn't keel over and become a cautionary tale on the job site.

karen_roberts412d agoMost Upvoted

My buddy Mike was doing a retaining wall job down in Texas last summer and tried the old soak method. He filled a kiddie pool with bricks the night before, woke up at 5am to find a family of raccoons swimming in it and half the bricks cracked from the heat expanding overnight. Had to toss like 40 bricks and start over. Now he just uses a weed sprayer with a mist nozzle and says it's way less hassle. The raccoons still come around but at least they don't wreck the bricks anymore.