📢Hub Chatter

c/bricklayers

25

casey_barnes•14h ago

Compared my mortar mix ratios side by side and found the sweet spot

I ran two test walls last week using a 4:1 sand to cement mix on one and a 3:1 on the other to see which held up better after a rain. The 3:1 came out way stronger with almost no crumbling at the joints, but it was a pain to work with because it set too fast. Has anyone else tried different ratios on a job site and settled on one that balances strength and workability?

8

taylor.phoenix•1d ago

Had to choose between a drum mixer and a paddle mixer for my mortar

Had to choose between a drum mixer and a paddle mixer for my mortar last month on a retaining wall job out in Rockford. The wall was about 80 bricks per course so I knew my little drill paddle setup would take forever. The drum mixer rental was $45 a day so I figured I'd give it a shot and save my arm. But honestly it was a pain. The drum took forever to clean between batches, like scraping hardened mortar off the inside for 20 minutes each time. I ended up wasting so much time compared to just doing multiple small batches with my paddle. Not sure if I got a bad model or if they all suck like that. What do you guys use for bigger jobs? Paddle or drum?

12

hugo_cooper•1d ago

Old timer told me to soak bricks before laying in summer heat

Guy I worked with 10 years ago, Mike from a job in Phoenix, said I was wasting time soaking bricks before laying them. First summer on my own I skipped it to save an hour. By lunch the bricks were sucking moisture out of the mortar so fast it crumbled before I could tap them level. Lost half a day and 3 bags of Type N. Has anyone else had this backfire on them?

11

wren652•1d ago

Changed my mind on mortar mix after a site visit in Memphis

I always used Type N for everything, figured it was good enough and cheaper. Then I went with my uncle to a job he was doing at the old Peabody hotel downtown. He showed me how the original mortar from 1925 was still holding up, but the stuff they used in the 80s was crumbling. He pulled out a sample and said 'this is Type O, too soft for this brick.' That got me looking closer at what I was buying. Now I match the mix to the brick hardness, even if it costs a bit more per bag. Has anyone else run into trouble using the wrong type on an old building?

1

holly_williams•3d ago

Can we talk about using a dry mix for pointing on a damp wall

I tried a dry mortar mix for repointing a garden wall last weekend after a rainy morning and ended up with crumbling joints that fell out within 3 days, has anyone else had this backfire on them?

7

river190•4d ago

That corner job at the old St. Mary's church near downtown went sideways fast

I was laying brick on the east side of the church last Tuesday when the whole corner started leaning after only three courses. The mortar was curing too slow because the temp dropped 15 degrees and I didn't check the forecast. Anyone else had a cold weather batch screw up a wall that quick?

4

ivanl76•4d ago

Spent a whole afternoon fixing a wall I messed up 20 years ago

I was in Dayton patching an old retaining wall and realized my mortar mix from back in '04 was way too sandy, it just crumbled when I touched it. Had to chip out about 30 feet and redo it with the right ratio, which taught me to never rush the mix again.

20

william_miller•4d ago

Had to tear down a whole wall I built 10 years ago due to bad foundation settling

I put up a garden wall in 2014 and last month the whole thing shifted 2 inches because I didn't dig deep enough footings. Rebuilt it with 18 inch deep gravel base this time, has anyone else had to redo old work like that?

22

the_gavin•4d ago

Switched from wet cut to dry cut for brick and it's night and day

For 10 years I always used a wet saw for every single cut. Hose running, mud everywhere, cleanup took forever. Last month I got a good dry cut blade for my 7 inch grinder. Cuts are faster, no mess, and I can set up right where I'm working instead of dragging hose around. Anyone else make the switch and find it changed their pace on jobs?

29

john430•5d ago

Watched a mason at an old church solve my corner problem in 10 seconds

I was helping restore a 1920s church downtown last month and got stuck on a tricky corner. Could not get my plumb bob to hang right on the uneven stone. An older guy, probably 70s, walked over from another part of the site and just looked at it. He pulled out a simple torpedo level and showed me how to work from the existing corner block instead of the line. Said I was overthinking it and trying to make the wall perfect when the old foundation was already 3/8 inch off. After he left, I tried his method and had the whole corner squared up in about 45 minutes. Has anyone else found that older masons have these little shortcuts that just aren't in any textbook?

22

river190•5d ago

Skeptical about pre-mixed mortar, now I'm a convert.

I always mixed my own mortar on site, thought the bagged stuff was for rookies. Then a big commercial job came up, 500 blocks for a retaining wall in Austin, and the boss insisted on using pre-mixed Type S. I figured it'd be weak or dry out too fast, but that stuff stayed workable for like 25 minutes longer than my usual mix. Has anyone else had a bad experience with pre-mixed, or am I just late to the party?

3

victorcoleman•5d ago

Watched a garage wall go from leaning to flat in 3 hours

Helped a buddy out in Hudson last summer. His 40 year old block wall was bowing out almost 3 inches from water pressure behind it. We drilled weep holes at the base and pumped in grout anchors from the top. By the time we finished lunch it was dead straight. Has anyone else fixed a bowing wall without having to tear it all down?

21

dylan413•7d ago

Walked past an old house downtown with brickwork from the 1920s

I was in Springfield last weekend checking out a job site and took a detour down Maple Street. There's this old house there, must be a hundred years old, and the brickwork on the front porch is still holding up better than most new builds I see. The joints are tight and the pattern is a simple running bond, but the guy who laid it took the time to match the color across batches. You don't see that kind of care anymore, not with crews rushing to finish a wall in a day. Makes me wonder if we've lost something in the push for speed. Has anyone else noticed older jobs lasting way longer than the new stuff?

25

rileyjones•9d ago

Just found out how much mortar joints actually breathes

Was reading through an old bricklaying manual from the 1920s I found at a flea market near Flint last weekend, and it said mortar joints let out like 90% of the moisture in a wall over time. Blew my mind because I always thought the bricks themselves did all the drying. Anybody else ever come across weird old trade facts that changed how you work?

13

paige514•9d ago

Just noticed a weird brick pattern on a job site last week that still bugs me

I was checking out a new development over in Fenton, looked like a pretty standard strip mall going up. But I walked closer to the front entryway and saw the brickwork on one of the columns was laid in a running bond that just didn't line up right. Every other course was off by a full half inch, not the usual stagger. It looked sloppy, like the guy just got lazy or maybe the batch was mixed up. I pointed it out to the foreman and he shrugged it off, said it was a design choice. But I've been doing this for 12 years and I know a mistake when I see one. Has anyone else run into masons trying to pass off bad work as intentional?

9

lewis.drew•10d ago

Just learned a wild stat about old brick strength

Was reading through an old masonry trade journal from the 1920s I picked up at an antique store for $5. Turns out a lot of those hand-fired bricks from back then actually hit compressive strengths around 10,000 psi while modern common bricks often sit closer to 3,000-5,000 psi. The difference is wild because the old kiln temps were so inconsistent. Makes me wonder how many of those old buildings we tear down are actually way stronger than what we put up now. Anyone else ever test old reclaimed brick against new stuff?

3

michael693•11d ago

That old brickie who showed me the 'two tap' trick back in '93

I was working a foundation job in Dayton, Ohio back then, just a kid barely 19. This guy named Dutch must have been 60 and he walked over while I was knocking mortar off a brick with my trowel. He told me to stop and said "you're fighting the brick, son, not working with it." Then he showed me how to tap the brick twice with the handle end to clean it off clean, no chipping or nothing. I still do that exact move today, 31 years later, and it saves me maybe 15 minutes a day on big jobs. Any of you guys pick up little moves from older workers that stuck with you?

34

miles54•12d ago

Almost lost a wall last month from a bad mortar mix

I was working on a retaining wall job over in Fresno and mixed up a batch of mortar that looked fine but started crumbling after 3 days. Turned out the sand I grabbed from the supplier had too much clay in it and ruined the bond. Has anyone else gotten a bad batch of sand that didn't pass the taste test?}

21

gibson.oliver•13d ago

Took me 6 hours to figure out a corner bond pattern I'd normally do in 20 minutes

I was doing a herringbone pattern around a window and kept messing up the 45s for some reason. Anyone else have days where your brain just refuses to picture the layout?

20

danielwhite•13d ago

Dropped $180 on that fancy laser level and it's been gathering dust

I bought a Bosch GLL 3-80 self-leveling laser back in June thinking it would speed up my brickwork on big walls. Tried using it on a 40 foot retaining wall job and the line just disappeared in the sun. Has anyone found a decent laser that actually works outdoors without spending $400?

8

markm27•15d ago

Talking to my 75 year old neighbor turned my opinion around on reusing bricks from demolition sites

He told me he's been using the same 60 year old bricks from a torn down schoolhouse for the last 15 years and they've never cracked or spalled on him once, so has anyone else had good luck with salvaged brick or am I asking for trouble?

16

jade_hernandez•18d ago

Finally figured out a trick for keeping my line level straight on long runs

Was fighting with sagging string for months until a retired mason in Tucson showed me how to tie a simple tension knot with a half hitch and now my courses come out dead flat every time... anyone else got a weird little knot they swear by?

10

troy_ross•19d ago

PSA: Found out my mortar was drying too fast because of a windy jobsite in Springfield

Last Tuesday I was laying brick on a exposed wall and the mortar kept crusting over before I could tap the next block in. A guy from the supply yard told me to mix in a little more lime and wet the bricks first, has anyone else dealt with wind causing issues like that?

9

perez.barbara•21d ago

My first curved wall came out almost perfect

Been laying brick for about 4 years now and finally got a chance to do a curved walkway for a house in Oak Park. I was nervous as hell because I usually only do straight runs and corners. Took me about 6 hours just to get the layout right with the string and radius marks. The owner came out and said it looks like it was always meant to be there. Has anyone else found a trick for keeping the gap consistent on curves?

16

the_lucas•22d ago

Still can't believe people don't butter their bricks before laying them in freezing weather

I was on a job up in Buffalo last January and watched a new crew slap bricks down on a frosty morning without even brushing the ice off the bed. The foreman just shrugged and said the mortar would set anyway. I told him he'd have loose joints by spring. Sure enough, I drove by that wall two months ago and you could pull half the bricks out with your hand. Why do some guys skip this basic step when the temp drops below 32?