Always thought a brick wall needed a full day to set before you could point it.

Read a study from the Masonry Institute that said you can point after just 4 hours if the mix and weather are right. Anyone ever try pointing that early on a job?

2 comments

2 Comments

corar781mo ago

Four hours? Did they test that in a real summer or just in some lab? I've seen mortar that was still soft at lunchtime on a humid day. The idea of pointing that early feels like asking for trouble, like trying to write your name in wet concrete.

jason_fisher41mo ago

I used to agree with you until I worked on a project in Phoenix last July. We pointed a south facing wall after five hours and it held up fine. The key was using a rapid set mortar mix and keeping the bricks shaded before we started.