Why does everyone lay brick with way too much mortar?

Saw a crew downtown last week slopping it on like peanut butter on a sandwich. I told the foreman if he cut back by half an inch per joint he'd save 15% on mix every job. Has anyone else noticed new guys just piling it on instead of using the furrow technique?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_fisher11d ago

That's REAL talk right there. I had a job a few years back where the rookie was laying it on THICK, thinking he was being safe. I made him step back and watch me lay a couple courses with a proper v-notch in the mortar. He was SHOCKED how much less mud I used and how much tighter the joint looked. Had him practice on a scrap wall for an hour, just getting the feel for the right amount of squeeze-out. After that, his work got cleaner, we saved probably three bags of mix on that small retaining wall alone, and the client was way happier with the finished product. It's all about that muscle memory and not being scared to use a little less.

johnson.eva11d ago

Must be the new "extra crispy" method of bricklaying, where you spend more on mortar than on the bricks themselves. Always figured the furrow technique was called that because it's what separates the pros from the guys who just like making a mess. Guess some folks never learned that less really is more when it comes to that mud.

henry15011d ago

Man, I see this all the time and it drives me nuts. You're right on the money about the furrow technique, it's way easier to control the thickness and keeps the joint consistent. I've had to show a few younger guys how to hold the trowel at the right angle so they're not just slapping it on like they're frosting a cake. Cutting back by even a quarter inch per joint really adds up over a whole wall, both in material and in how clean the final look is.