Warning: my buddy's 'magic' mortar mix sounded like total nonsense

He swore adding a splash of cola to the mix made it stick better in cold weather, which I laughed off. We were working on a garden wall in early March, temps around 40, and my usual stuff just wasn't setting right. Out of pure frustration, I tried his dumb trick with a can of store brand soda. The next morning, that section was rock solid while mine was still crumbly. Has anyone else heard of this or used something else weird that actually works?

3 comments

3 Comments

jake_torres6810d ago

Cold weather slows the cure, right? The sugar in the cola acts like an antifreeze, letting the chemical reaction happen. I've used a bit of calcium chloride in the mix water for the same reason, but that soda trick is a decent last-minute fix.

scott.miles10d ago

Yeah, the calcium chloride trick is the real move for cold. My buddy got desperate once on a shed slab and used a two liter of root beer because he heard the sugar thing. It did keep it from freezing that night, but months later you could still scratch the surface with a key. It never really got hard, just stayed kinda crumbly. He had to break the whole thing out and pour again in the spring. That soda fix buys you time but wrecks the long term strength.

grace60710d ago

Remember that old rumor about putting a packet of Jell-o mix in concrete to color it? My uncle tried it with cherry flavor on a backyard stepping stone. It did turn a weird pink color, but it also seemed to make the surface weirdly soft and flaky. Maybe some additives work and some just make a mess.