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That foreman who said to wet my bricks twice taught me a lesson
Guy named Dave on a job in Denver kept yelling at me to soak the bricks before laying and I thought he was crazy for wasting time. Found out after a week that my mortar was cracking because the dry bricks sucked up all the moisture before it could set. Any of you guys run into a situation where you ignored advice and had to tear out a wall?
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martin.riley1mo agoMost Upvoted
You ever stop to think maybe the foreman was just testing your patience? Over-wetting bricks can cause efflorescence and weaken the bond just as bad as dry ones. Sometimes you gotta trust your own experience over some random old-timer's rule.
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laura_chen411mo ago
Hang on - how wet are we talking here? Did you soak them to the point of dripping or just give them a quick hose down? I've seen guys dunk bricks in a bucket until they're basically saturated and that causes problems too. Just curious about the specific method you used, because there's a big difference between dampening and soaking.
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phoenix_lewis1mo ago
Tbh I've done both and it really depends on the weather and the mortar. If you're just hitting them with a hose to knock off dust, that's fine. But if you're dunking them in a bucket until they're dripping, you're gonna get that weak bond and white crust later. I'd say spray them down, let them sit for a minute so the water soaks in a bit, then lay them while they're damp but not soaked. That's how I've always done it and never had issues.
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