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?

2 comments

2 Comments

faithg261d ago

and yeah, i learned that the hard way too. did a repoint on a 1900s brownstone with type N cause i was being cheap and half of it popped out within a year. my buddy who's been doing masonry forever was like 'dude, that brick's softer than the mortar you just smeared on it,' and i felt like an idiot. now i always test the brick first with a scratch test before even buying the mix.

king.lisa1d ago

Is it really that big a deal though?