That moment I finally figured out why my corners kept cracking

For like 8 months I kept having hairline cracks show up in the corners of every wall I laid. I thought it was the mortar mix or maybe the foundation settling. Then my buddy Mike who's been laying brick for 30 years watched me work for 5 minutes and goes 'you're not staggering your perp joints close enough to the corners.' He showed me I needed to start with a 2 inch bat instead of a full brick. Now I cut every corner starter to 2 inches max and I haven't had a single crack since. Has anyone else had a stupid simple fix like that change their whole game?

2 comments

2 Comments

noahpark17d ago

Your buddy Mike watched me work for 5 minutes" - that part hit home. Sometimes the dumbest little thing is the whole problem and nobody catches it. I bet you felt equal parts relieved and stupid when he showed you.

jamie71216d ago

My buddy Pete was doing tile work for like a year and kept having tiles pop loose in the same spot near the shower curb. He redid the whole thing twice before his dad came over and said "you're not back-buttering, just tossing mud on the wall." Pete was just spreading thinset on the wall and pressing tiles on. His dad showed him how to put a thin coat on the back of each tile too. Never had a problem after that.