Old timer at the supply yard told me to stop wetting my bricks

I've been soaking bricks before laying them for years because that's how my uncle taught me. Last week this guy named Pete who's been bricklaying since the 70s said I was making the mortar too weak doing that. He showed me how dry bricks actually grip the mortar better and I tried it on a garden wall job in Austin. The whole thing went up faster and feels way more solid now. Anyone else ever get bad advice passed down like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

wendy8206d ago

Huh, so wait, you're saying dry bricks actually make a stronger bond? I mean I always figured they needed a little moisture so they didn't suck all the water out of the mortar too fast. But if that old timer Pete has been doing it since way back, maybe I've been overthinking it.

foster.tessa6d ago

Hold on there @wendy820, I gotta push back on that. Damp bricks are actually the way to go for a strong bond. Dry bricks might seem fine at first but they pull that moisture out way too fast and the mortar ends up weak and crumbly. That old timer Pete might have just gotten lucky or been working in a humid climate where the bricks weren't really bone dry. There's a reason most masons I've talked to soak their bricks for at least a few hours before laying them. The mortar needs time to cure properly and dry bricks just don't let that happen.

taraross6d ago

Damp bricks just make a mess. Slows you down for nothing. Dry bricks grab that mortar and hold it tight if you know what you're doing.