Old timer in Toledo told me to never wet my bricks before laying them

He swore it weakened the mortar bond, but I did it anyway on a hot July job and those bricks set rock solid... has anyone else heard that advice one way or the other?

2 comments

2 Comments

barbarac9519d agoMost Upvoted

I read somewhere that wetting bricks on old houses can cause frost damage later.

wesleyc7519d ago

Yeah, barbarac95, that's a real issue with old brick. The problem is that old bricks are soft and porous. If they get soaked and then the temp drops below freezing, the water inside expands and can crack the brick surface. I've seen it happen on a few 1920s houses in my area where people power washed without thinking about the weather.