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That job on a bank in downtown Cleveland where the mortar mix was bad from the batch
Three months back I was working on a six story bank renovation in Cleveland, laying face brick. On the third day I noticed the mortar wasn't setting right, staying soft even after 24 hours. Boss told me to keep going, said it was fine. Six weeks later the whole first three courses are crumbling out. Now I always test a small batch first no matter who tells me to hurry up. Has anyone else dealt with a bad mortar mix from a supplier that tried to deny it?
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annajenkins1mo ago
That staying soft even after 24 hours" thing is a huge red flag. I bet the supplier tried to cover it by saying the brick was too wet or something. I had something similar happen on a small retaining wall job, the mortar never really hardened right and after a winter freeze it was basically dust. The worst part is they tried to blame the sand I used, but I had receipts showing it was from their yard. Now I take a photo of the batch number on every bag just to have proof.
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sagecooper1mo ago
Whoa, hold on, is it really that big of a deal? I mean, I get that it's annoying when stuff doesn't set up right, but calling it a "huge red flag" feels a little over the top. Maybe the batch was just a little off or the weather was weird that day. Idk, I've had mortar stay soft for like 36 hours on a damp day and it was totally fine afterwards. I'm not saying you're wrong, but I think sometimes people panic too quick over stuff that might just be a one-off problem.
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alicecraig1mo ago
36 hours soft is definitely a red flag, @annajenkins.
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