Stop buttering your bricks, it's not helping anyone

I saw three guys on a job in Toledo last Thursday smearing mortar on the face of the brick before laying it, and that extra step just slows you down and leaves a mess that takes twice as long to clean, so why do people keep doing it when a solid bed joint and a good shove does the same thing, has anyone else noticed this on their crews?

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shanem373d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, is buttering the bricks the new way to show affection on the job site, or did someone confuse masonry with making toast? Tbh, I've seen guys do this too, and it's like they're trying to give each brick a little spa treatment before it goes in. Half the time you end up with more mortar smeared on the front than actually in the joint, and then you're out there scrubbing with a wire brush like you're cleaning a grill. I'm half convinced these guys just like the extra cleanup so they can look busy when the foreman walks by.