I was picking up mortar at Builders Mart on Tuesday and overheard this older bricklayer tell a new guy that metric sized bricks are just a fad and don't lay right. I've been using metric modular bricks on the last three jobs in Raleigh and my courses come out way more consistent with less waste. I get that people get set in their ways, but have you guys actually tried them on a big wall?
Was working a patio job in Atlanta last spring and kept getting way too much water in my mix because the tarp had puddles. Old timer told me to punch a few small holes in the tarp corners so the water drains off. Has anyone else tried that or got a better solution for rainy days?
Used to skip this step thinking it was extra work until I laid a wall in July that cracked after two weeks. Now I dunk each brick in a bucket for 5 seconds before buttering. Anyone else do this or am I just slow?
Picked up a beat up old mortar mixer at an auction last month for $80. Threw a new motor on it for $60 and it ran like a champ on a retaining wall job in Bakersfield last week. Mixed 30 bags in the time it would take me to hand mix 10. Anyone else find good deals on used gear that actually works out?
The guy said it was barely used but it threw a belt in the middle of a retaining wall job and I spent more time trying to get my money back than if I just rented one from Home Depot, anyone else get burned on used gear from strangers?
Spent 20 minutes arguing with him on a job site last Tuesday before I tried it on a garden wall and somehow my plumb readings came out tighter than when I used the tool.
Picked up one of those cheap mortar mixer paddle attachments for my drill from a hardware store in Tulsa. Figured it would save time on a retaining wall I was doing last weekend. Second batch of mix and the shaft started wobbling, then the paddle snapped clean off. Tried to return it but they said no refunds on used power tool accessories. Useless piece of junk. Has anyone else had bad luck with those universal mixer attachments or did I just grab the wrong brand?
Figured I'd try a cheap brand from Amazon for a patio wall job. Thing was useless outside by noon. Could barely see the line past 10 feet. Had to switch back to a chalk line for half the day. Stick with the HUEpar or just save up for a green beam next time. Anyone else have luck with cheaper units in bright conditions?
Last Tuesday was supposed to be a normal job. Stacking brick for a retaining wall in Omaha. But I opened the first bag of mortar mix and it was already solid. Like a rock. Clumped up into one big mass. Turns out the supplier stored them outside and a leak got in. Had to hand bust each bag with a hammer just to get powder out. Whole crew wasted 2 hours breaking up 20 bags. Foreman just stood there laughing. Anyone else ever deal with a whole pallet of ruined mix?
I used to think cheap tools were fine for occasional use but that chisel broke in half on the third strike and dented my safety glasses, so has anyone else had a cheap tool fail in a dangerous way?
I've been working on this retaining wall behind the community center in Oakville for three weeks. Counted today and I'm at 10,043 bricks with no major blowouts or cracks. Has anyone else kept track of their personal best on one project?
I was picking up some thinset at Ferguson's in Denver and the guy behind the counter asked what I was laying. He told me my go-to Type N mortar has too much lime for porcelain tile, which I've been using for years on bathroom floors. Has anyone else had their standard mix cause adhesion problems down the line?
I was on a patio job last month and needed to split some old pavers quick. Normally I use my trowel edge to score and snap, but I grabbed a brick hammer for a change. It split clean every time without the jagged edges I usually get. My partner swears by the trowel method for speed though. Anyone else notice the hammer gives a straighter break or am I just slow with the trowel?
I grabbed a bag of Type N mortar from a little hardware store near a job I was doing in Fresno. Got home and noticed the date stamp said it was 14 months old and the mix was clumpy and wouldn't hold a consistent color. Has anyone else dealt with buying expired materials from smaller shops and what do you look for on the bag to avoid it?
Picked up a pallet from a guy on Facebook Marketplace in Akron last month. Seemed like a good deal. Got home and started mixing and it just wasn't setting right. Took me three rows of block before I checked the date stamp. Stuff was 11 months past. Had to tear it all out. Anybody else get burned buying materials secondhand?
Been laying brick for 8 years, mostly residential stuff in the suburbs. Last Tuesday I'm on a retaining wall job and a guy from the supply yard stops by to drop off more material. He watches me for a minute and says 'you know your joints are gonna crack right?' I thought he was joking. Turns out I been soaking my bricks way too long before laying them. They'd dry out and shrink, leaving gaps I'd fill with extra mortar. Nobody ever told me, just figured wetter was better. Ever have one of those moments where a stranger fixes your whole process with one comment?
Tbh I was watching some old brick video from a guy in Chicago last night and he mentioned lime content in your mix. I always just dumped a bag of type S and added water till it felt right. Turns out I was way off on the sand to cement ratio for like a dozen years. The dude broke down how a proper mix should actually have a specific parts ratio, not just eyeballing it. Has anyone else been doing this wrong their whole career or is it just me?
Saw this old mason from Kentucky do a demo at a supplier open house. He clipped his ties in like 3 seconds each and they were rock solid. I been bending them back and forth like a dummy. The way he showed it with the wire tension made it click for me. Took maybe 20 minutes watching him to realize I been wasting time and making weaker walls. Anyone else had that moment where you see a basic thing done right and feel dumb?
I was having issues with corners cracking on a patio job near downtown Austin last month. Talked to a guy at the supply yard who said my mix was too wet for the 90-degree weather we had. He pointed me to a spec sheet from Quikrete that said Type N mortar needs 5.5 to 6 quarts of water per 80-pound bag, not the 7 I was using. Anyone else had this problem or used a dry mix for hot weather jobs?
When I started bricklaying back in 2017 I just guessed at how much water to add to the mix. Dump some in, stir it around, looked okay to me. Then I was building a garden wall in Omaha and the whole middle section buckled after 3 days because the mortar was too wet. My buddy Frank made me measure water with a 5 gallon bucket from then on. Has anyone else had a wall fail from bad mortar consistency?
I grabbed a pallet of 8x8x16 blocks last Saturday without checking if they were all the same lot number. Halfway through the first wall, the colors didn't match at all, looked like a patchwork quilt. Had to tear down 4 rows and swap 'em out with the right batch from the back. Anyone else had a supplier mix lots on you like that?
Last July I was working a retaining wall outside Phoenix. Temp was 110 and the mortar was drying too fast, cracking before I could even tool the joints. I tried misting the bricks and covering the fresh work with wet burlap. That slowed it down just enough to get a clean finish. Anyone else deal with heat messing up their mortar?
Turns out the mix had too much water (the supplier admitted they messed up the batch) and it shrunk way more than it should have as it cured. Has anyone else had a supplier screw up a mix like that and not catch it until the damage was done?
I was reading through the Masonry Magazine from last month and saw a study that said 30% of brick failures come from the mortar being too strong, not too weak. Everyone at my local union hall in Philly always goes on about using the hardest mix possible. Now I'm questioning my whole approach after that number stuck in my head. Anyone else see those findings and change how they mix?
Ran into this old guy at the supply yard who saw my pallet of bricks and asked what joint size I was running. Told him 3/8 and he just laughed, said back in his day everything was laid by eye and a string line. It got me thinking maybe I rely too much on spacers and not enough on just knowing the damn craft. Any of you guys ever had a master call you out on something?