c/bricklayers

Vent: My old boss swore by a 3/8 inch joint, but I'll never go over a 1/4 inch now.

The extra mortar just makes a weaker wall and costs more, plain and simple. Anyone else find their old training was just dead wrong on this?

Been laying brick for 25 years... always used a standard 3/8 inch joint. My new foreman insists on a 1/2 inch joint for everything now. Says it's more forgiving and looks better on modern builds. I think it looks sloppy and uses too much mortar. What's the standard on your sites these days?

That time a brick arch started to sag before the mortar set

We were building a fireplace in a house in Springfield, and the wooden support for the arch slipped about an inch. I saw the center bricks dip right after we laid them. My partner held the center up with a trowel handle while I jammed some quick wedges under the support frame. It held, but we had to re-check every joint before we could walk away. Has anyone had a support fail like that and how did you fix it on the spot?

Just read that the mortar in the Hoover Dam is still curing, found that in a book at the library yesterday

Appreciation post: The time I used a garden hose to fix a stubborn mortar slump

I was building a curved garden wall in Phoenix last summer, and the mortar kept slumping off the trowel in the 110-degree heat. After three tries, I was ready to pack it in. My old boss once said, 'If the mud's too hot, cool it down,' so I ran a garden hose over the sand pile for about five minutes before mixing. The cooler sand brought the mortar temp down just enough that it held its shape perfectly. Has anyone else found a simple trick like that for working in extreme heat?

Noticed a big change in how we handle brick cleaning on old chimneys

About five years back, we'd tackle a dirty chimney repoint job in the city and just go at it with a stiff brush and water, maybe some mild detergent. It took forever and the results were never that great, especially on the really old, sooty brick. Then maybe two years ago, I saw a crew using this low pressure chemical wash system. They sprayed on this special cleaner, let it sit, and rinsed it off with a garden hose on a gentle setting. The before and after was night and day. The mortar joints popped clean and the brick color came back without any of that sandblasted look or damage. I started using a similar method from a supplier called ProSoCo, and it cut our cleaning time on a standard two-story chimney from a full day down to about three hours. The client satisfaction shot way up too. Has anyone else made the switch to chemical cleaning for restoration work, and what brand are you using?

My uncle told me to mix my mud with a drill for 5 minutes, not 2

He swore it made a huge difference in the workability, so I tried it on a patio job last week. I mixed a batch for the full 5 minutes with my DeWalt drill and my arm was killing me. But honestly, the mortar was way creamier and stuck to the trowel perfectly. Laid about 200 bricks that afternoon and it was the smoothest run I've had in months. Anyone else have a weird mixing tip that actually paid off?

Saw a brick wall in Chicago with a really clean soldier course

It was on a new apartment building near the river. The joints were so tight and even, it looked like one solid piece. How do you keep your soldier courses that straight without any wobble?

Question about mixing mortar for a big block wall

I was building a 12-foot retaining wall in my yard and the mix felt wrong, too sandy and weak. My neighbor, a retired mason, came over and said 'your water is off, you're drowning it.' I'd been adding a full bucket at the start for years. He showed me to add it slow until it just sticks to the trowel. Has anyone else had a mix turn out bad from too much water at once?

Just hit 10,000 bricks on a single chimney rebuild in Cincinnati

I mean, I was just counting as I went, you know, keeping track for the order. When I hit that number on my tally sheet, I had to stop and laugh. It's a huge old house and the owner wanted it done exactly like the original, but still. Has anyone else ever been surprised by a count like that on a normal job?

Hit 500 bricks laid in a single day on a foundation job in Tacoma

Always thought that number was just a story old timers told, but we had a perfect crew and weather last Thursday. Seeing that count at the end of the shift made me realize how much prep and teamwork actually matters over just speed. What's the most bricks you've ever put down in a day on a straight run?

Tried a new way to keep my mortar from drying out too fast in the sun

Last summer on a big patio job in Tucson, the mix was setting up before I could even lay four bricks. I started putting my mortar board on a wet piece of burlap inside my wheelbarrow, and covering the whole thing with a damp tarp between loads. It kept the mix workable for almost an hour longer in that heat. Anyone else have a good trick for hot weather bricklaying?

I've been mixing my mortar too wet for years and a cracked chimney finally showed me

Had a call back on a chimney I built in Springfield two summers ago, and the freeze-thaw cycles made a vertical crack right through the center. An old guy I brought in to look at it just grabbed a handful of my mix, squeezed it, and said 'Kid, this is soup. It's got no backbone.' I mean, I always thought a wetter mix was easier to work with. How do you guys judge the right slump for exterior work in a cold climate?

An old timer in Cincinnati told me to mix my mud with a shovel, not a hoe, for a small repair, and I've been thinking about it ever since.

He saw me on a porch job five years ago, said 'a hoe just pushes air into it and you'll get weak spots,' so now I'm curious if that's real wisdom or just his personal quirk.

Finally figured out why my mortar was drying too fast in the sun

I was laying a small patio in my backyard yesterday and the mix kept getting crumbly after just a few minutes. My neighbor, who used to do masonry, walked over and pointed out I was mixing the whole bag at once instead of smaller batches. How do you guys handle mixing on hot days to keep it workable?

Vent: My old mortar mix was costing me an extra hour a day on cleanup

For years I just used a basic type N mix for everything, even repointing. Last month on a big chimney job in Tacoma, the homeowner asked for a specific lime-rich mix. The difference was crazy. The new mortar stayed workable longer and washed off the bricks with half the effort. I timed it, and I was saving about 60 minutes a day just on cleaning the face. That's a full hour back in my pocket. Has anyone else switched up their standard mix and seen a big change in their day?

Hit 1500 bricks laid in a single day on a project in Omaha

It was on a long, straight foundation wall with a great mix and a perfect laborer. We had a system where he'd keep my spot board full and I never had to break my rhythm. I always thought 1200 was a solid day, but hitting that number showed me how much prep and teamwork matters. Anyone else have a personal record that shocked them?

Pro tip: I tried a new lime mix on a garden wall and it set way too fast

Last Tuesday I was building a curved wall in a backyard in Tacoma. I used a bag of quick set lime I had on the truck instead of my usual stuff. It started going off in the mixer after about 20 minutes, so I had to rush the whole last half of the job. The next day I did the same wall on the other side with my normal, slower lime and the work was so much cleaner. Has anyone else had a mix ruin your pace on a tricky layout?

Rant: I thought those plastic corner blocks for brick corners were a total gimmick.

Used them on a tricky 45 degree corner in a Denver backyard and they saved me probably an hour of fussing with the line. Anyone have a cheaper alternative that works just as well?

Saw a brick arch in Savannah that's got me scratching my head

I was down in Savannah last month visiting family and took a walk through the historic district. I stopped to look at this old brick archway on a carriage house off Jones Street. The thing is, the mortar joints are maybe a quarter inch thick, tops. I mean, they're razor thin. The brick itself is this soft, almost salmon-colored local clay. I've been laying brick for fifteen years, mostly modern residential stuff with standard three-eighths joints. I can't figure out how they got such a tight, clean bond with that old, irregular brick. It's a radial arch, and every course is perfect. Did they use a different lime mix back then, or was it just insane skill? Has anyone here worked on a restoration like that and know the trick?

Spent about $80 on a new pair of knee pads last month and they already saved me a trip to urgent care.

That time the mortar mix was way too wet on a chimney rebuild

I was working on a chimney rebuild in Springfield last fall, and we had a new guy mixing the mud. He must have added an extra half gallon of water to the batch, because it was soup. We didn't notice until I was about six courses up, and the whole section started to slump. I had to stop everything, tear down those six rows, and remix the whole batch myself with the right ratio. It set us back almost three hours on the job. Now I always double-check the mix before it goes in the hod. Has anyone else had a batch go wrong because of the water ratio?

Lost a whole day's pay on a cheap mortar mixer that died after 3 hours

Honestly, I grabbed a no-name mixer from a discount tool place for $180 thinking I'd save some cash. Tbh, it started smoking on the third batch of mortar for a garden wall job. Had to shut down, send my laborer to rent a proper one, and lost about $400 in wages for the day waiting. The rental cost another $75 on top of that. Ngl, I should have just bought a decent used one from the start. Anyone got a solid brand for a small mixer that can handle daily use?

My uncle told me to use a 3/8 inch joint on a garden wall in Chicago last summer. The frost heave wrecked it in 4 months.

He swore by it for 30 years, said it was stronger. Laid 500 bricks with his method. This winter, half the wall is leaning. Should have stuck with the 1/2 inch we all use here. Anyone else in a cold climate had a 'trusted' tip backfire like that?

Saw the new library going up with imitation stone instead of brick. Makes me wonder if it'll last like the old brick buildings did. What do you all think?