Old timer told me I was buttering my bricks wrong back in 2019

Guy had been laying brick since the 70s and said I was putting way too much mud on the back end. Made me switch to just a thin buttering on the back and a full bed on the face. Cuts down on mortar waste by about 20% on a big job. Anybody else get a tip from an old head that changed their whole routine?

3 comments

3 Comments

gracea1913d ago

Old timers really do have a way of cutting through the nonsense, don't they? That trick sounds like it saves a ton of clean up time too, not just the mud. Got one like that myself - a guy who laid block for 40 years told me to stop tapping every brick level and just set it and trust the line. Felt weird at first, but it sped me up by a shocking amount. Appreciate you sharing that, might test it out on my next wall.

adams.vera13d ago

Think you're overselling the line trick @gracea19, speed's great but I've seen too many wonky walls from skipping the level.

barbara8410d ago

Oh boy, I feel you on that one @adams.vera. I've had my share of walls that looked great in the moment but turned into a headache later. For me, the trick is using a good 6-foot level to catch the line's natural sag before it sets. I work on old houses where nothing's plumb, so I'll pull a tight string line and then double check with the level every few feet, especially around corners. That way I get the speed of the line trick without ending up with a wave. It's not perfect every time, but it's saved me from redoing more than a few drywall patches.