c/bricklayers

My uncle swore by using a garden hose to mix mortar for a small patio job

He said it saved time and water, so I tried it on a 10x12 patio in my backyard. I hooked up the hose to a bucket, thinking I could control the flow, but it was a mess. The water came out too fast, making the mix way too wet, and I ended up with soupy mortar that wouldn't hold a line. I wasted two 80-pound bags before I gave up and went back to my mixing tub and a measured bucket. The whole thing set me back about three hours and $30 in wasted material. Has anyone else ever gotten some truly terrible advice from a family member that sounded good at the time?

Bought a $300 laser level for a tricky fireplace job and it paid for itself in a day

Had to rebuild a big stone fireplace out in the hills last week, and the old chimney was way out of plumb. I've always used my trusty 4-foot level and string lines, but this thing had so many angles. Bit the bullet and got that DeWalt laser level. Setting the first course was a breeze, just kept checking the red line. It cut my layout time down by hours, no more climbing up and down to check each side. The homeowner even commented on how straight it looked as we went up. Honestly thought it was a silly buy for a while, but not anymore. Anyone have a go-to tool they resisted buying that turned out to be a game changer?

Read an old building code book from 1978 and found out they used to allow a 1/2 inch mortar joint for foundation walls. That's huge compared to what we do now.

Tried that 'mortar slush' trick on a chimney rebuild last month

My old boss used to say to wet the bricks before laying them, but this guy on site told me to dip the brick in a bucket of water for a second, just to get a slush on it. I thought it was a waste of time and would weaken the bond. Did it on the last few courses because the mortar was setting up too fast in the sun, and those bricks stuck way better. Anyone else use this method on hot days or is there a better fix?

Watched a crew in Tampa lay a brick wall without checking the level every third course...

They got almost four feet up before the whole thing started to lean, and we had to tear it down. My old boss in Chicago always said 'trust your eyes, but check your level' and it's saved me so much time. How often do you guys actually check your level on a straight run?

Hot take: I finally switched to a magnesium float for my finish work last week and it's a total game changer.

Honestly, after 3 years of using a steel float on every job in Tampa, the way the magnesium one pulls the cream up on a hot day is just better, so who else has made the switch?

I thought those laser levels were just a gimmick until my crew used one on a 50 foot chimney rebuild last month

My old brick chisel gave out on a chimney repair in Akron

It was a cold Tuesday morning, maybe 20 degrees. I was working on a chimney repoint job. Went to tap out a bad brick and the head just snapped clean off. Thing was my dad's, probably 40 years old. Had to run to the supply house for a new one. Anyone got a brand that holds up better to the cold?

Watching a crew in Omaha lay a walkway showed me a common mortar mistake

I mean, it's about the water ratio in the mix. I saw them adding way too much, making it soupy. That stuff will shrink and crack like crazy when it dries, maybe in a week or two. I learned the hard way on a patio job about five years back, had to redo a whole section. A good mix should hold its shape when you grab a handful, not just slump. Anyone else notice this on sites lately, or is it just me?

Shoutout to the $75 laser level I finally bought for a tricky chimney job

I was setting up a herringbone pattern on a fireplace rebuild last month and my old string lines just weren't cutting it for keeping things square. I grabbed a basic laser level from the supply house and it saved me probably two hours of fussing and rechecking my work. Has anyone else found a specific tool that made a complex pattern way easier to handle?

Question about mixing mortar for a chimney rebuild in the cold

I used to just add a little extra water when it was under 40 degrees, but after a repoint job failed last winter, I switched to using a non-chloride accelerator from a brand called Set-Rite. Anyone have a go-to cold weather additive they trust more?

I was laying a herringbone patio for 5 years before a guy in Philly pointed out my starter course was backwards.

Just realized my string line was off by a quarter inch on a chimney rebuild in Akron, so I had to pull down the last three courses before the homeowner came home for lunch.

Has anyone else had a close call like that where catching a small mistake saved a huge headache later?

A squirrel built a nest in a chimney I was repointing

I was halfway through a job in Springfield when I heard frantic scratching from inside the flue, and a very angry squirrel shot out past my head, dropping a walnut that hit my trowel. The homeowner just said, 'Well, that's new,' and went back inside. What's the weirdest thing you've found in a wall or chimney?

Question about mixing mud for a chimney rebuild

I keep seeing guys at the yard just eyeball the lime to sand ratio, and it drives me nuts. Did a repair on a 1920s chimney in Pasadena last month where the old mortar was still perfect because they measured, not guessed. Anyone got a good trick for getting the mix right every time without a scale?

Showerthought: The old school brickies who taught me to mix by eye would lose it over these new pre-bagged mortars.

We did a 20-foot garden wall last week with a modern mix and the color was dead even the whole way up, no weird patches after a rain like we'd get sometimes. Anyone else find their crews are way faster now but maybe missing some of the old feel for the material?

Warning: I saw a huge difference in a brick wall after switching from a standard mix to a pre-blended mortar with plasticizer

I did a repair on a garden wall in Portland about two years ago, and the new section started showing efflorescence and minor cracks after just one winter. I redid it last month using a pre-blended mortar with an integrated plasticizer. The workability was way better, and the color match is perfect. The old section looks chalky and rough next to it now. Has anyone else seen a big jump in durability from these newer mixes?

Switched from a 4-foot level to a laser for a big commercial job in Austin and it changed the game.

The foreman wanted us to stick with the old levels for a 30-foot retaining wall, but I rented a DeWalt laser for the week. We finished the layout in half a day and the line was perfect the whole way. Anyone else made the jump to lasers for big runs and never looked back?

Tried a new lime mix on a garden wall in Tacoma and it set way faster than expected

I mixed a 3:1 sand to lime ratio for a small repair job last Thursday, thinking it would give me a long working time. The whole batch went off in under 20 minutes in the sun, which was a real surprise. Anyone have a go-to mix for hot weather repointing?

Used a laser level on a chimney rebuild after years of just trusting my eyes

I was fixing a chimney in a 1920s house in Cincinnati, and for the first time I brought a laser level instead of just eyeballing the plumb. The old way, I'd be up there squinting and adjusting for an hour. With the laser, I had the whole thing set in maybe 15 minutes, and the line was perfect. It felt like cheating, but in a good way. Anyone else have a tool that made them feel silly for not trying it sooner?

Just realized how many guys are still mixing mortar too wet for brickwork

I was helping a friend fix a garden wall in his yard last week, and the mix he had going was like soup. He said it was easier to spread, but the bricks were floating all over the place. I showed him the proper slump test with the trowel, and the difference in speed and stability was immediate. What's the one basic thing you see people messing up that drives you nuts?

I finally switched from a standard 10-inch level to a 4-foot one for setting my first course, and the difference is night and day.

Got called out on my mortar mix at a job in Tacoma

An old timer on site last month saw me mixing and said, 'Kid, you're adding too much water, it's gonna weep and stain the brick.' I was just trying to work faster. I switched to a stiffer mix, like he said, and the next wall came out clean with no efflorescence. It slowed me down a bit, but the finish is way better. Anyone have a good rule of thumb for judging the right consistency?

Warning: Saw a brick wall in a Denver brewery patio that was laid with zero header courses

It was a 12-foot section, just all stretchers, and the owner said it was 'modern art'. Anyone else seen something that made you just shake your head?

Spent $400 on a laser level and it's the best tool I ever bought

I was doing a big chimney rebuild last fall and my old string lines just weren't cutting it for keeping everything plumb over that height. I bit the bullet and got a DeWalt laser level. The first day I used it, I shaved at least two hours off the job and the lines were perfect. It paid for itself on that single project by saving me from a single course of tear-out. I can't believe I worked without one for ten years. What's the one tool you guys bought that you now can't live without?