c/bricklayers

Took me 10 years to finally stop buttering the bricks

Back when I started in 2010 I used to wet every brick before laying because my old man swore by it. Last winter I had this job on a retaining wall in Phoenix and the mud just kept sliding off no matter what. I quit soaking them halfway through and the bond actually held better. Why do we keep doing stuff just because some guys from the 70s said so? Anyone else drop an old habit and get better results right away?

Had a talk with an old foreman that made me look back at how I work

Ran into Mike, a guy I worked for back in 2011 on that big school job in Akron. He pointed out how I was laying brick with my off hand leading and said I've been doing it backwards for years. Made me realize I picked up bad habits from rushing when I was younger and never fixed em. Anyone else ever get a wake up call from someone you haven't seen in a while?

That job on Elm Street in 2008 changed how I tie off scaffolding

I was working a three story rehab on Elm Street in Portland back in 2008. Foreman had us tying off with rope and a half hitch knot, just like we always did. Halfway through the second week a gust caught the tarp and the whole section shifted about six inches. Nobody got hurt but it shook me up. Now I only use ratchet straps and check them every morning. Any other guys run into a close call that made you switch up your rigging?

Worst bricklaying week I ever had - rained 4 out of 5 days

Last spring I was working a job over in Akron, Ohio, and we had this stretch where it rained Monday through Thursday nonstop. We got maybe 200 bricks laid all week when we normally do 1,200. Lost a whole week's pay and had to fight with the supplier over getting wet mortar mix replaced. Anyone else ever have a week that just completely tanked your numbers?

Overheard a foreman say lime mortar is making a comeback

I was grabbing coffee at the supply yard in Cleveland last Tuesday and heard an old foreman telling a younger guy that some historical jobs are starting to spec lime mortar again instead of modern Type N. Got me thinking about how I've only ever used Portland cement mixes and never really messed with lime. Has anyone here switched back to lime for certain projects or is this just a niche thing for restoration only?

Always used a 4-inch trowel for brick cleaning until a job in Phoenix last summer

Guy on site handed me a hard nylon brush and told me to use water and a dash of vinegar instead of muriatic acid on this new white brick wall. The acid was etching the surface and turning it yellow after a few months, and this way the brick stayed clean without damaging the color. Anybody else ditch the acid for regular cleaning?

Watched a guy stack a whole wall with the frog facing the wrong way

Was helping out on a job in Fort Worth last month and this new guy kept setting bricks with the frog down. I asked him why and he said it felt more stable that way. Look, the frog side up gives you better mortar key and a stronger bond, that's just basic physics. After three rows he had to rip it all out because the wall was already showing cracks. Has anyone else had to fix a mess like this from someone skipping the basics?

Hot take: Old school mortar mixing vs. modern pre-bagged stuff

I was on a job over in Springfield last week with this old timer named Jerry who's been laying brick since like 1975. He swears mixing your own sand and cement from scratch gives you way more control over the cure time and color, but I've been using the pre-bagged Type S for years and never had a call back. He showed me how the consistency was better on a tricky arch we were doing, but I'm still not sold on the extra time it takes. Anyone else ever try both and notice a real difference, or is it just old guys being stubborn?

Tried to speed up a garden wall with a harbor freight mortar mixer last month

Holy smokes that thing threw mortar chunks all over my neighbor's new siding in about 30 seconds. Has anyone else had a cheap mixer turn a simple job into a total mess?

That time I tried a 7 inch brick jointer after using a 6 inch for 10 years

Honestly I thought it wouldn't make a big difference. My buddy at the supply house in Augusta kept telling me to try the 7 inch for wider joints. Finally gave in last month on a big retaining wall job. The 7 inch saved me like 2 hours over two days because I wasn't having to go back over each line twice. Caveat is it only works if you're doing joints over 3/8. Has anyone else switched jointer sizes and noticed a real time save or am I just slow?

Hit my 10,000th brick laid this morning and I honestly didn't believe the count until I checked my notebook

Took me 8 years to figure out I was butterflying my bricks all wrong

Honestly I was at a job in Portland last spring and this old timer walked over and just stared at my work for like 2 minutes. He goes 'son you're butterflying the ends but leaving the center dry' and that's when it clicked. I had been spreading mortar in this U shape instead of covering the whole bed, which left weak spots in the middle of every joint. Anybody else have that moment where a simple observation from a coworker changed how you lay?

Had to choose between a bricklaying robot or hiring an extra crew last spring

Our contractor offered me a deal on a semi-auto bricklaying machine for a big wall job back in April. I went with hiring two more guys instead because the robot cost $18,000 upfront and I wasn't sure about setup time. The crew got the wall done in 10 days with good quality, but I keep wondering if the robot would have paid off on longer projects. Has anyone here tried one of those machines for residential work?

Realized I was washing my trowels wrong after 8 years in the trade

Tbh last week I was on a job in Arlington and my foreman looked at my trowel and laughed. He asked why I always had rust spots near the handle. I told him I just rinse them off and toss em in the box at the end of the day. He showed me how he scrubs with a wire brush and dries it with a rag before putting it away. Ngl I thought he was being extra until I tried it for 3 days straight. My trowel feels way smoother and I'm not fighting rust buildup anymore. Anyone else got a weird tool care habit they picked up late?

Warning: those cheap mortar mixing paddles will snap on you

Bought a 12 dollar paddle from the hardware store last month thinking it would save me a few bucks on a big retaining wall job at a house off Elm Street. First full batch of type S mortar and the blades bent up like a pretzel halfway through, wasted 2 bags of mix before I noticed. Anybody else had a cheap paddle fail on them or am I just too rough with the drill?

My $80 mortar mixer paddle bent on the third job

Bought a cheap paddle from a big box store. First two jobs were fine, third one had a few too many rocks and now it wobbles like crazy. Anyone else just stick with the name brand ones from the supply house?

Shoutout to the site foreman who told me to slow down

I was working a job in Raleigh last month laying a garden wall, and I was really trying to push hard to get it done fast. The foreman came over and told me my joints were getting sloppy about halfway up the second course. He said I was rushing the bed joints and they were too thick in some spots and too thin in others. I was kind of defensive at first, but then I stepped back and looked at the first couple rows I did when I was taking my time. The difference was obvious. So I slowed down, started checking my levels and lines more often, and actually finished the wall two hours earlier than the day before because I wasn't ripping stuff out and redoing it. Anyone else have a boss or lead that called them out on something small that actually made a big difference in how you work?

Trowel slipped on a job site in Austin last Tuesday...

I was laying brick for a new retaining wall down off South Congress. My trowel slipped out of my hand cause I was sweating through my gloves and it hit a fresh mortar joint I just finished wiping. Had to scrape out a 3 foot section and redo it because the dent looked awful and the homeowner was watching from the window. Whole thing added like 45 minutes to my day. Anyone else ever have a tool betrayal mess up a clean joint?

Appreciation post: The before and after of switching from wet to dry diamond blades for brick cutting

I've been laying brick for about 12 years now, mostly residential work here in Nashville. For the first 8 or so years I always used wet saws for cutting brick, figuring the water kept dust down. About 4 years ago I picked up a dry diamond blade for my angle grinder on a job where I couldn't run water easily. The difference was pretty shocking. With the wet blade I always had slurry everywhere and the cuts were good but slow. With the dry blade I cut twice as fast with a much cleaner edge, almost no chipping. The trade off is all that silica dust gets airborne, so I wear a respirator now. Some older guys at the supply house swear wet is the only way to go to prevent thermal shock on the brick. But after using dry blades for years now, I'd never go back for general cutting. Has anyone else made this switch and noticed a big performance difference in their cuts?

A dog stole my level on a job in Austin and now I triple check my tools before I start

I was working on a retaining wall out in Austin last month and this golden retriever from the neighbor's yard just ran off with my 48-inch level. I spent 20 minutes chasing him while my mortar was drying out. The owner just laughed and said 'he does that.' Now I lay all my tools out of fence reach before I even mix a batch. Has anyone else had an animal mess with their setup on site?

Had to pick between a mixer and a pointing gun on a job last Tuesday

I was working on a garden wall in St. Louis and couldn't decide if I should mix my mortar by the bucket or finally break down and buy a pointing gun. I went with the bucket and trowel because my boss always says guns are for rookies. Took me twice as long as I wanted and my wrist is still sore. Has anyone else tried one of those guns and found it actually works?

Hit 50,000 bricks laid this week and it hit me hard

I was counting up for a job I finished Tuesday in Phoenix and realized I passed 50,000 bricks laid since I started. That number surprised me because I never kept track until now. I started as a helper in 2019 stacking mud and never thought I'd get this far. It matters because it shows the little things add up over time. Anyone else ever check their total and get caught off guard?

The rubber mallet trick I thought was BS actually saved my back last week

I always laughed at old timers who said to tap every brick into place with a rubber mallet instead of pushing by hand, but after laying 400 bricks on a retaining wall in Austin I gave it a try. My wrists stopped aching by noon and the joints came out way tighter. Did anyone else resist a basic tool change for years before realizing it worked?

Hit my 100th chimney cap this Tuesday and it felt like just another job

Started counting when I got stuck on a tricky one last spring, but 100 came up faster than I expected and now I'm wondering if anyone else tracks little milestones like that or am I just weird about keeping counts.

Hot take: dropping $220 on a Marshalltown margin trowel was totally worth it for the handle shape alone

Everyone says the cheap ones do the same job, but after three months of using that curved grip on tight corner work I haven't had a single blister, so has anyone else found a "luxury" tool that actually earned its keep?