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My dad told me to always wet my bricks for a full hour before laying them, but a foreman on a job in Charlotte said ten minutes is fine.
I've been doing the full hour soak my whole career because my dad, who taught me, swore by it. He said it stops the brick from sucking the water out of the mortar too fast. But last month, the foreman on a big commercial job saw me setting up my soak tubs and said I was wasting time. He claimed with modern mortar mixes, a quick ten minute dunk is all you need for most common bricks. I tried his way on a test panel, and honestly, the bond seemed just as strong after a week. Now I'm second guessing a core rule I learned. Has anyone else tested this or have a strong opinion on soak times?
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seth_martinez216mo ago
My uncle's whole porch crumbled because he rushed the soak on a hot day.
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rosebennett7mo ago
Hold on, you're trusting a test panel after one week? The whole point of a proper soak is for long term durability, not just initial grab. Modern mortar still needs that even moisture to cure right over years, not days. I've seen quick dunk jobs fail after a few freeze thaw cycles because the brick core stayed too dry. Your dad's rule wasn't about the mix, it was about the brick itself.
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rowan5937mo ago
That "full hour soak" was gospel for me too, learned from my old man. The thing is, your foreman is right about modern mortar. The mixes have changed. I switched to a quick dunk years ago after a supplier showed me the lab sheets on water retention. The only time I do a long soak now is with super dry, reclaimed bricks on a hot day. Save yourself the backache of hauling those waterlogged bricks around.
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