Old timer on my crew told me my mortar mix was way too wet - changed everything

I was out on a job in Portland last summer and a guy with 40 years in the trade walked over and said "your joints are gonna slump in 6 months with that soup." I was using 3 gallons of water per bag of type N mortar and he had me drop it to 2.25 gallons. First time my brickwork actually looked clean and stayed put. Anyone else get roasted by an old pro for something you thought you had figured out?

2 comments

2 Comments

jason_fisher49d ago

Three gallons per bag? Holy cow, that's practically grout. You're lucky that guy came along before you had to tear it all out.

angela_park9d ago

Wait, three gallons per bag... is that a typo or did you really mix up that much water in one batch?