Old timer told me to soak my bricks before laying them and I figured he was being dramatic

I skipped it on a hot July job in Phoenix and three of the bricks sucked the moisture right out of the mortar before I could even tap them level, has anyone else had that happen on a dry day?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarb7120d ago

Honestly, you gotta soak them or you're asking for trouble. I've had bricks suck the water out so fast the mortar turned to dust before I could even get the level out. On a Phoenix job like that, you want to soak them overnight or at least a few hours before you start. A quick dip in a bucket right before laying works in a pinch, but they really need to be soaked through. It's a pain, but it beats having to rip them out later.

cameron42620d ago

And honestly, @oscarb71 is right about the overnight soak. I learned that one the hard way on a retaining wall job where I skipped it and watched the mortar crumble in the afternoon heat. A trick that works for me is to hose them down the night before and then cover them with a wet tarp, that way they're still damp when you start in the morning. Even a short soak is better than dry bricks, but you really want them saturated if you're working in hot weather. Trust me, it saves you from that panicked feeling when the mortar sets up like concrete before you've even got the brick fully seated.