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The old timer at the supply yard in Gary told me to stop wetting my brick, and I finally tried it
I always dunked every brick in a water bucket before laying, because that is what the guy who taught me did 15 years ago and I never questioned it. Last month I was loading up at the supply yard in Gary and an old timer watched me soak a pallet and just shook his head. He told me I was making them too slick and the mortar was sliding instead of grabbing, especially on the hotter days. I pushed back at first, but he said wet brick plus wet mortar equals a weak bond, and dry brick pulls the right amount of water out of the mix. So I ran a small garden wall test without soaking, just a quick wipe with a damp sponge, and the joints set up way cleaner. He was right, and I have not gone back to the bucket since. Anyone else switched to a light wipe instead of a full soak, or am I the last one to hear this?
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xena_miller311mo ago
Wait, so one guy at a yard shakes his head and now 15 years of doing it your way goes out the window? That old timer learned his trade in a different time with different brick, and a lot of modern brick is way more porous than the old stuff, which is exactly why soaking still works for tons of masons. A damp sponge might feel cleaner on a small garden wall in mild weather, but on a hot day with a thirsty brick, that wipe is gone in seconds and the mortar never gets the slow cure it needs. One test wall is not proof of anything, that is just one wall. And honestly, if wet brick made weak bonds, half the old buildings still standing would have fallen down by now. Maybe your mix or your sand was the real problem and the soak just got the blame.
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