Found a cheap trick to keep my mortar from drying out too fast on hot days

I was working a job in July last year and the sun was just killing my mix. It would start crusting over in like 10 minutes no matter how much water I added. So I grabbed a spray bottle from my dog grooming shop and started misting the mud pile every few minutes. Kept a wet burlap sack over the wheelbarrow too. That little setup saved me from wasting about 2 buckets a day. Anyone else do something similar or have a better method for this?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancyjones1mo ago

The spray bottle trick is a solid one and I've seen plenty of masons do that on hot jobs. The wet burlap is really the key though, that slows things down way more than just misting. I always keep a few old towels soaked in water draped over my bucket and it makes a world of difference. Mixing smaller batches just means more cleanup and more time wasted, not a real fix for the heat problem.

gavin3651mo agoMost Upvoted

Don't see the problem, just mix smaller batches...

the_wade1mo ago

Mixing smaller batches still leaves the same mess, @gavin365. Just less of it.