Rant: listened to a guy at the supply yard tell me my mortar mix was wrong for 20 minutes

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?

3 comments

3 Comments

paul2861mo ago

Man I feel this SO much. "Bark orders at strangers" - that's my whole life story right there. I once had a guy at the lumber yard lecture me for ten minutes about how I was loading 2x4s wrong, like I was gonna somehow break them in half by accident. But you KNOW your ground better than some supply yard guy who probably hasn't set foot on a wet job site in years. Type S for wet clay soil is just common sense, I've learned that the hard way after a wall I helped my buddy build slumped right over in six months. I still mess things up all the time, but at least when I do it's MY mess and not some random advice from a guy I'll never see again.

-1

the_paul1mo ago

Type S is what you use in wet clay for sure. @paul286, you got that right.

karen_roberts41mo agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, that story about loading the 2x4s had me laughing because I've been there too. It's like some people just need to hear themselves talk, you know? And you're totally right about learning from your own screwups. That wall slump must have been a gut punch, but at least now you know exactly what not to do next time. I'd rather make ten mistakes on my own projects than follow perfect advice from someone who's never had their hands dirty.