c/bricklayers

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?

Am I the only one who sees guys not soaking their bricks enough on hot days?

I was working on a patio job in Phoenix last July, and the crew on the house next door was laying brick in 105-degree heat with barely a splash of water. You could hear the mortar hiss as it went down. In my experience, if you don't get those bricks properly wet, especially the really dry ones, they suck the moisture right out of the mix before it can cure. It leads to a weak bond and you'll see cracks in a few months, no question. I always dunk mine in a tub for a good minute until the bubbles stop. It adds maybe ten minutes to the setup, but it saves a callback. Has anyone else had to fix a wall that failed because the bricks were laid too dry?

Can we talk about the time I had to redo a whole chimney stack in Boise because the mortar mix was off?

My helper added too much lime to the batch on a Friday afternoon, and by Monday morning the entire structure on a new build was weeping white streaks and had zero grab, so I had to chip out every single joint and start over from the roof line up, which took three full days and cost the company nearly two grand in labor and materials.

Showerthought: Spent a whole day on a weird foundation corner in Cincinnati.

The old blueprints were off by an inch, so the whole first course was wrong. Anyone ever have a print mess you up that bad?

I finally had to mortar a patio around a full kiddie pool in Akron.

PSA: Your mortar mix is probably too wet and you're killing your joints

I see crews all over town slopping down soupy mortar that's more like pancake batter. It's a huge problem because that weak joint will fail in 5 years, not 50. I learned this the hard way on a big chimney rebuild in Springfield where we had to tear out and redo three courses after a single freeze-thaw cycle. The mix should hold a ridge when you cut it with your trowel, not just slump flat. How many of you actually test your workability before you start laying?

Finally got the hang of laying soldier courses on a curved wall

I had a job last week on a garden wall in Oak Park that needed a tight radius, maybe 8 feet. The choice was to cut every brick to fit the curve or to slightly space the mortar joints wider on the outside. I went with adjusting the joints, keeping the bricks whole. It took me three hours to get the first few courses right, but by the end of the day the curve looked smooth as anything. Anyone have a different method for a tight bend like that?

Back in '09, my foreman showed me a trick for keeping a line straight on a long wall. We were building a 50-foot retaining wall in Phoenix and the string kept sagging. He grabbed a couple of old spark plugs from his truck and tied them on as weights. Worked perfectly.

My old way of mixing mortar was costing me time and money

I used to just dump the whole bag in the mixer and add water until it looked right, which wasted a ton of material. About three months ago, a guy on a job in Tacoma showed me how to measure the water first, then slowly add the mix to hit the perfect consistency every time. Now I use exactly what I need, and my cleanup is way faster. Anyone else have a simple trick that saved them a bunch of material?

A house in my town had a full brick wall fail after just 18 months

I drove by a new build in Springfield last week and saw the entire front brick veneer was bulging out. I remembered it looked perfect when they finished it. The homeowner said they used a cheap, off-brand mortar mix from a big box store to save a few bucks. The mix wasn't rated for our freeze-thaw cycles and it just crumbled away behind the brick. Has anyone else seen a job fail that fast from bad mortar?

Bought a cheap mortar mixer from a flea market and it cost me a whole day's work

Back when I was just starting my own crew, I thought I was being smart saving cash. Found this old mixer at a swap meet in Toledo for maybe 80 bucks... looked solid enough. First real job with it, a simple chimney repair, and the thing just gave up halfway through the second batch. The motor smoked, the paddle locked, and I had to hand mix the rest in a wheelbarrow. Lost a full day's pay, probably around 400 dollars, because we couldn't finish on time. My old boss used to say you can't build a straight wall with a crooked tool, and man, was he right. Now I won't touch anything without a known brand name and a warranty. Anyone got a mixer they've used for years that just won't quit?

Appreciation post: Tried to mix mortar with a paint mixer on a drill for a small garden wall job. It looked like a volcano erupted in my yard.

An old guy at the supply yard in Tacoma showed me his trick for keeping a line level

I was picking up some lime for a job last fall and saw this older mason having trouble with his line. He had a little plastic bottle cap with a notch cut in it, and he'd hook it over the line right next to the pin. He said, 'Kid, this catches the wind and stops the whole thing from dancing around.' I tried it the next day on a windy chimney repair and it worked like a charm. Anyone else have a weird little trick like that for dealing with wind?

Hit 10,000 bricks laid in a single month and my back is screaming about it

Just finished a big commercial job in Phoenix and the foreman gave us the final count. My crew and I put down over 10,000 standard modular bricks in 30 days. That's a personal record for me, and it's way more than I thought we could handle with the heat. We were mixing mud and setting brick for 10 hours a day, six days a week to hit the deadline. Honestly, the number is cool, but I'm mostly just tired. What's the most brick you've ever laid in a month on a big push like that?

Can we talk about how many people still don't butter their bricks properly? I was helping a friend on a patio job in Springfield and saw the previous crew's work. The mortar joints were full of gaps because they just slapped it on.

Reading an old trade journal and saw a stat about brick weight

I was flipping through a 1970s bricklayer magazine at the library and it said a standard brick back then weighed almost 5 pounds. I always figured they were heavy, but that's a lot more than I thought. My arms get tired just thinking about laying those all day. Has anyone else come across old facts about the trade that made you appreciate the work more?

Update: I finally figured out my mortar mixing was costing me extra time on every job

For years, I'd just dump the whole bag of sand and lime in the mixer at once, add water, and hope for the best. It always took forever to get a consistent mix, and I'd waste material cleaning out the pan. About six months ago, I watched a guy on a site in Toledo layer his dry materials first, then add water in stages. I tried it the next day. Now I do a dry mix for a full minute, add half the water, mix for two, then add the rest. My setup is 15 minutes faster per batch, and the mortar is way more uniform. Anyone have a different mixing sequence that works better for them?

A young apprentice in Kansas City asked me why we still use lime mortar on old buildings

We were repointing a 1920s brick wall downtown, mixing a small batch. He watched me add the lime, then said, 'Couldn't we just use the modern stuff? It's faster.' I explained how the old bricks are softer and need the flexible, breathable mortar to prevent cracking. His eyes lit up when he felt the difference in texture. That simple question made me remember why I got into restoration work. What's the best way you've found to explain traditional methods to new guys?

Saw some bad brickwork on the new townhouses over on Elm Street

I was walking the dog past the new build on Elm and 5th yesterday. The brickwork on the north side is already showing some serious issues. The mortar joints are uneven, and I could see a few spots where the bond is already failing near a corner. It looks like they rushed the job before the cold snap last month. Has anyone else taken a look, or seen similar problems with fast-tracked projects lately?

Rant: I just read that a single brick can hold over 250 tons of pressure

Found it in a really old building code book from the 70s at a garage sale... it was talking about compressive strength. I always knew brick was strong, but that number blew my mind. Makes you think about how much we're actually building with every single course. Has anyone else come across a stat that made you look at the materials differently?

Finally got the hang of that tricky soldier course on a curved wall

I was working on a garden wall in Phoenix last month and had to lay a soldier course on a 15-foot radius curve, which I've always struggled with. Instead of my usual method, I tried cutting the bricks at a slight angle before laying them and the whole thing lined up perfectly on the first try. Has anyone else found a specific trick for curved work that saved them a ton of time?

Heard a guy at the supply yard say 'a good bricklayer never blames his trowel' and it's been stuck in my head all week.

PSA: I finally figured out why my mortar was setting up too fast on a hot day job in Tucson

Last week I was working on a patio in 100 degree heat and my mix kept going stiff before I could even lay three bricks. I realized I was using water straight from the sun-warmed hose, so I started keeping a cooler with ice water to mix with, and it gave me way more working time. Anyone else have a simple trick for dealing with extreme heat on site?

I used to think those fancy laser levels were a total waste of money

For years I stuck with my old string lines and a 4-foot level, convinced the $300 for a good laser was just for show. Then I got roped into a big commercial job in Phoenix last fall, laying a long, intricate brick facade. The foreman insisted on using his Dewalt laser. After setting it up, we laid the first 50 feet of that run in half the usual time, and the line was perfect. I had to eat my words. The speed and accuracy on long stretches is just undeniable. Has anyone else made the switch and found it actually changed their workflow for the better?