Been saying this for years but nobody listens... stop washing your brick before the mortar sets

I keep seeing guys at my local supply yard in Cleveland hosing down face brick the second it's laid, then wondering why their joints crack a week later. How many of you actually wait the full 24 hours before doing any cleanup on a wall?

3 comments

3 Comments

dianawilson7d ago

You've been saying this for years but nobody listens," well maybe that's because you're wrong. I've been washing brick within an hour of laying for over a decade and never had a joint crack on me. The trick is using a light spray, not a pressure washer, and keeping the water off the mortar itself. If you're getting cracks after 24 hours, it's probably your mix or the weather, not the water. Waiting a full day just means scrubbing hardened mortar off the face, which is way more work and can scratch the brick.

skyler_kelly697d ago

So you're saying water hitting fresh mortar is fine but only if you do it your way? Sounds like you're just lucky with your mix and weather, not proving a rule.

garcia.cameron7d ago

Your "light spray" might be fine in your climate with your mix, but I've seen guys try the same thing here in Texas and end up with a mess of washed-out joints. Taking a day to let it set seems like a safer bet to me.