c/bricklayers

I was dead wrong about lime mortar. Here's why.

I've been laying brick for almost 15 years, and I always swore by standard portland cement mortar. Thought lime mortar was just for old buildings and purists. Then last spring I took a job restoring a 1920s church downtown, and the specs called for a NHL 3.5 lime mix. I grumbled through the whole first week, but then I noticed something. The stuff was way more forgiving on the old soft brick, didn't crack near as much, and even in the heat it held up fine. Three months later I had to repoint a small section of my own driveway that I'd done with portland, and it was already crumbling. The lime work on that church still looks perfect. Has anyone else switched over and dealt with the longer drying time?

Overheard a guy at the tile supply house mention freezing his butter knives

I was picking up some thin-set at the local tile supply shop yesterday and this old timer was telling the guy behind the counter he keeps his margin trowels in the freezer overnight during summer jobs. He said it keeps the mortar from sticking too fast when it's 95 degrees out. I've been fighting with hot mortar all July and never thought of that. Has anyone else tried cooling their tools like that or is this just some old school thing?

Vent: My mortar mixer threw a bearing on a Friday afternoon

Last month I'm laying block on a retaining wall job in Akron, and my mixer starts making this grinding noise. Ten minutes later the drum seizes up completely right as I'm halfway through a pallet of 8x8x16. I had to finish mixing by hand in a wheelbarrow with a hoe like it's 1950. Has anyone found a reliable brand of mixer that doesn't die after two seasons?

Wet saw versus angle grinder for cutting firebrick in a pizza oven build

Used a wet saw on the first half of my pizza oven project and switched to a diamond blade on an angle grinder for the second half. The grinder was way faster and gave me cleaner cuts around the curved dome sections. Anyone else prefer a grinder for tight radius work?

I finally bought a $300 mortar mixer attachment for my drill

Thought it was a waste of money but after mixing 15 bags of type S by hand last Tuesday my shoulder gave out and now I get it done in half the time with way less pain, anyone else made the jump from hand mixing?

That load of brick at the Jenkins site almost killed me

I was working a job over on Jenkins Road last Tuesday, stacking a pallet of brick near a retaining wall. The ground was soft from rain the night before, and I didn't check it close enough. That wall shifted about 3 inches while I was unloading, and a whole section came down right where I was standing. Now I always check the base first for any drainage issues before I even start a new pile.

Swapped my 10 inch trowel for a 14 inch and my back thanks me

Honestly, I used a 10 inch Philadelphia trowel for almost 8 years because that's what the old timers taught me when I started. Last fall I was doing a big retaining wall in Columbus and my shoulder started locking up by noon every day. One of the guys on site let me try his 14 inch Marshalltown and the difference was night and day. The longer blade covers more surface with each sweep so you're not reaching and twisting as much. My pours are cleaner too because the mortar stays on the trowel better with the extra length. Has anyone else made the switch to a bigger trowel or am I late to the party?

Why does nobody talk about how sketchy scaffolding gets in the wind

I was up on a site near the river in Pittsburgh last week and a gust nearly took me for a ride. The scaffolding was tied off but you could still feel it sway like a porch swing. I've been doing this for 7 years and it's the first time I actually grabbed a rail and held my breath. Has anyone else dealt with a setup that felt way too loose for the height you were working at?

The retaining wall I fixed last spring vs. what it looked like three years ago blew my mind

I snapped a picture of this retaining wall I helped a buddy redo near his place in St. Louis. Three years ago it was all bulging out and the mortar was basically dust, looked like it would fall over any minute. We tore it down, dug a proper base with gravel, and used through-wall ties every two feet. Now it's rock solid and hasn't moved a hair. What kind of fixes have you guys made that really held up better than you expected?

Why is everyone running clean joints with wet mortar these days?

I was on a site in Raleigh last Thursday watching a crew set a long garden wall and every single joint they struck just smeared into a mess because the mortar was way too wet to hold a clean line. The finish looked like a 3 year old did it and they were already 20 feet past before it dried enough to fix. Have you guys had to go back and repoint whole sections for guys who rush the mix?

The difference a mortar mixer made on my foundation job last week

I've always mixed mortar by hand in a wheelbarrow. Figured it was fine, that's how my old man taught me. But I took on a foundation pour in a new subdivision near Brighton, and the job called for over 2000 bricks. Borrowed a gas powered mortar mixer from a buddy and man, the mix was way more consistent. No dry clumps, no watery spots. Anyone else find the mixer saves a lot of time on big walls?

Hit 50,000 bricks laid this week and I don't even know how to feel about it

I just counted back through my job logs and hit 50,000 bricks laid over 12 years and nobody outside this trade gets why that number even matters, right?

Finally saw the numbers on 3D printed brick molds and it changed my mind

I've been laying brick for about 8 years now and I always thought those 3D printed molds for curved brickwork were just a gimmick for rich hobbyists. But last month I stumbled on a study from a masonry journal that said jobs using these molds cut waste by 40% on average. That surprised me because I figured they'd just create more plastic junk. I found it while searching for ways to save on materials for a big church project in Cleveland. The article showed that the molds paid for themselves after just 3 uses on complex arches. Has anyone else tried these and seen real savings on material costs?

PSA: That cheap mortar mix from the big box store ruined my retaining wall job

I figured all mortar was basically the same so I grabbed the $4.99 bags from Lowe's instead of my usual supply house. After three weeks the top course started crumbling and I had to tear out 80 linear feet in Birmingham. The sand content was way off and it never cured right in our hot summer. Has anyone else dealt with bad batches from those discount pallets?

That lime mortar kickback story had me rolling my eyes until it bent my trowel

I always thought the old guys who swore by lime mortar were just stuck in their ways. Then I had to repoint a 1920s brick wall in Denver last spring. The modern Type N I used turned the face of the soft old bricks into powder after one freeze-thaw cycle. Went back with a lime mix and it held perfect. Is there anyone else who thought a traditional method was overhyped then got proven dead wrong on a specific job?

$80 for a used trowel from a retired mason was a steal of a deal

I found this old trowel at a flea market in Cleveland last fall. Guy was retired, said he used it for 15 years on commercial jobs. I paid $80 for it, which felt steep for a used tool, but the handle was worn perfect to my grip. Used it on a big retaining wall job last week and it laid mortar like butter. No chipping, no flex, just solid work. I got lumber from him too and he gave me a bunch of tips on mixing mud for heavy stone. Has anyone else picked up a veteran's tool and felt the difference right away?

Showerthought: I used to think those laser levels were just for show.

For years I thought a good string line and my eyes were all I needed, and that lasers were a gimmick for guys who liked fancy tools. Then I got a job laying a long, straight garden wall for a client in Scottsdale who insisted on one. After the first course, I checked it with the laser and I was off by a quarter inch over 20 feet. That thing saved me a ton of time fixing my work later. Now I use it on every single foundation line. Anyone else have a tool they fought against that they now can't work without?

Got called out by a foreman in Cincinnati for my mortar mix being too wet. He said 'That's not mud, that's soup.' Switched to a drier mix and my bricks stopped sliding. What's the biggest piece of job site criticism that actually made you better?

So I'm laying a herringbone patio in this guy's backyard in Mesa last week

Had the pattern perfect, then my new helper, Dave, trips over the hose and dumps a whole 5-gallon bucket of mortar right into the middle of it. Looked like a concrete pancake. We had to scrape it up fast and re-set like 30 bricks before it dried. Anyone else have a helper who's a total klutz but you keep them around anyway?

TIL about a brick wall that failed in under a year because of the sand

I was called to check out a new retaining wall in a friend's backyard that was already bowing. The homeowner said it was built about 10 months ago. The mason had used regular play sand from a big box store instead of proper masonry sand. You could see the difference in the mortar, it was crumbly and weak. The wall had shifted almost two inches at the top. It's a full rebuild now. Has anyone else run into a job ruined by the wrong sand?

Almost lost a whole wall in Portland when my mortar mix was too wet

Was working on a retaining wall for a client off Burnside last Tuesday. I was rushing between loads and didn't check the slump, next thing I know the whole top course started sliding on me. Had to tear out 12 feet and redo it, wasted about 40 bucks in materials. Anyone else had a bad batch of mix screw up their day?

My mortar mixer belt snapped halfway through a foundation job last Thursday

We were laying block for a garage in Westfield, and the old mixer just gave out with a loud pop. I had to send my helper to the supply house for a new belt while I mixed by hand in a wheelbarrow for about two hours. It set us back almost a full day on the schedule. Anyone know a good brand for replacement belts that can handle heavy use?

My line snapped on a 12-foot chimney rebuild yesterday, dropped a whole course. What's your go-to for high work?

My old boss in Toledo always said to wet the bricks for a full minute before laying them

I followed that rule for years until a mason from Chicago told me to just dunk them quick and go. Tried his way on a patio job last month, and the mortar set way better with less slump. The whole wall went up faster and looked cleaner. Anyone else get stuck on a 'rule' that turned out to be wrong?

My foreman in Phoenix said to always soak bricks for 30 minutes before laying, even in dry heat.

I ignored him for a month, thinking it was a waste of time, and my mortar started cracking within a day on a big patio job. Now I'm redoing 200 square feet because the bricks sucked all the moisture out too fast. Anyone else had a project go wrong from skipping the soak?