c/bricklayers

Warning: The brickwork on that new city hall addition downtown is already spalling.

Saw it yesterday, the mortar joints look like they were done in a hurry with the wrong mix. Anyone else seen premature failure like that on a public job?

TIL that a simple brick arch can turn into a two day nightmare

I was building a small arched opening in a garden wall last week, a job I figured would take maybe half a day. The problem was the wooden form I built for the arch. It looked perfect, but when I started laying the bricks, the curve just wouldn't seat right and the mortar joints were all over the place. I spent the rest of that day and all of the next just re-cutting bricks and re-doing the form. Has anyone else had a simple arch go totally wrong? What's your trick for getting the form right the first time?

Vent: A chimney job in St. Louis made me change how I mix my mortar for good

I was repointing an old brick chimney last fall, and after two days of work, a big rainstorm rolled through. The next morning, I saw my fresh mortar joints had washed out and sagged... it was a total mess. The old guy who owned the house told me his granddad always added a half bag of lime to every six bags of mix for jobs like that, and I've done it ever since. Has anyone else found a simple mix change that saved a project from the weather?

Ran into a retired mason at a hardware store in Phoenix who gave me a mortar tip

He saw me grabbing a bag of standard mix and asked what I was building. When I told him it was a small garden wall, he said 'Kid, for that heat, add a cup of lime to your batch. It'll cure slower and won't crack.' I've been doing it ever since. Anyone else tweak their mix for really dry climates?

Lost a full day's pay on a 'quick' repointing job with the wrong mortar mix

Took a small job repointing a garden wall in Springfield last month, and the homeowner insisted on using a bag of pre-mix he already had. It was a type N mix, which is fine for general stuff, but this wall had some old, soft brick. The new mortar was way too hard and started to crack within a week, pulling moisture in. I had to go back, chip it all out (which took a whole day I couldn't bill for), and do it again with a softer lime-based mix. Anyone have a go-to mix ratio for old, crumbly brickwork to avoid this mess?

Finished that tricky curved wall on the Main Street job

An older mason named Frank from the crew next door watched me set the last few bricks, then just said, 'You got the rhythm now, kid.' It happened right there on the scaffold, with the sun going down. What's a small piece of advice that's stuck with you from another bricklayer?

Got rained out three days straight on a Denver patio job

Honestly, it was a rough week. We had all the materials staged and the footings poured for a big backyard patio. Then the sky just opened up Monday morning and didn't stop until Thursday. The mud was so bad we couldn't even get the mixer truck back to the site. My foreman just kept saying, 'We'll start tomorrow,' but we never did. How do you guys handle the schedule when weather just wrecks everything?

That weird brick arch over in the old Canton warehouse district finally made sense to me

I was staring at it for like twenty minutes trying to figure out the centering, and then I realized they'd built it in two halves against a temporary plywood backer, not a full wooden frame. The mortar joints on the underside are perfectly smooth. I'm rebuilding a small garden wall arch next week and I'm tempted to try this method. Has anyone here actually done a split arch like that before?

Checked out the old courthouse in Springfield and the brickwork is wild

Took my kid there for a school project. The arches over the main entrance are insane. Each one has these tiny, tight radial bricks. Must have been a nightmare to lay. How did they even cut them that precise back then? Anyone know what that style is called?

I keep seeing guys lay brick without checking the line every few courses

On a job in Springfield last month, I watched two crews work and one kept having to tear down sections. They were just eyeballing it after the first course, and by the sixth course the wall was almost an inch out. I always check my line every three courses with a level, no matter what. It takes thirty seconds and saves a ton of time and brick later. How do you guys keep your runs straight on long walls?

Talking to a mason in Cincinnati made me question my mortar mix for a cold snap job

He said he always adds a cup of calcium chloride to his mix when the forecast dips below 40, which I've always avoided for fear of efflorescence. I've got a small patio job lined up for next week and the low is supposed to be 38. Is that old-school advice, or is he onto something?

My old foreman swore by using a 3/8 inch joint for everything, even foundations.

I argued with him for years, but after seeing a basement wall I laid with half inch joints start to bow in Toledo, I had to admit he was right. Anyone else have a 'rule' they fought against that turned out to be solid?

Remember when you could just eyeball a chimney flue?

Got a job to rebuild a top section on an old farmhouse chimney and the original flue tiles were all out of square by a full inch. Thought it would be a quick afternoon, but getting everything plumb and lined up right took me two whole days. Anyone else run into a brickwork puzzle that just wouldn't solve quickly?

I built two identical garden walls this month, one with a laser level and one with a string line.

The first wall was a 15 foot run for a client in Cedar Rapids, and I set it up with my old trusty string line. It took me about 45 minutes just to get the line perfectly level and secured. The second wall, same specs, I used a basic rotary laser level I borrowed from a guy on the crew. I had the whole layout done in maybe 10 minutes, and the bed joints were way more consistent. I mean, the speed and accuracy difference was huge. Is the laser level really worth the investment for someone who mostly does residential stuff, or is the string line good enough for most jobs?

Showerthought: That job in Phoenix last July where the mortar kept setting up in 10 minutes flat.

I had to start mixing half batches and wetting everything down constantly, so has anyone found a better summer mix or additive for extreme heat?

Talked to an old mason about mixing sand for a repair job

He was fixing a 100 year old wall in the historic district. I asked about his mix. He said 'Kid, the sand's the thing. You got sharp sand for strength, soft sand for work. I use a 2 to 1 sharp to soft for repairs like this.' I always just grabbed whatever was cheap. Tried his ratio on a chimney rebuild last month. The mortar felt totally different. Stuck better, tooled smoother. Made me rethink every bag I've ever bought. What's your go-to sand mix for old brickwork?

Honestly, I heard a guy at the supply yard say he soaks his bricks for 30 minutes in the summer heat. Tried it on a patio job last week and it was a total game changer.

My boss in Phoenix swore by a 3/8 inch joint for cinder block, but I had to learn the hard way.

He was a great guy, taught me a lot, but he was stuck on that 3/8 inch joint for everything. We were doing a big garden wall last fall, and he was out sick for a week. The specs for the job clearly called for a 1/2 inch mortar joint. I figured, what's an eighth of an inch, right? I did it his way to keep things moving. When the inspector came, he failed the whole first course because the joint was too thin. I had to tear out and re-lay about 40 blocks by myself. It was a long, quiet day. Now I always check the plans twice, no matter what anyone says. Has anyone else had a plan detail bite them because you went with 'the way we always do it'?

Rant: I used to mix my own mortar for every job in Cincinnati

For 15 years, I'd spend the first hour of every morning with a mixer and a shovel, convinced bagged stuff was for hacks. Then a crew on a big apartment build in Covington showed me their setup with a Sika PowerTrowel 5000 and pre-blended. We finished a 50-foot wall in one afternoon. Now I only hand-mix for small repairs. Anyone else make the switch and find it hard to go back?

Pro tip: check your mortar mix water source, especially on old sites

I was working on a 1920s house in Springfield last month and the brick was just not bonding right. The homeowner said they'd had the same problem with a patio last year. Turns out, they were using well water that was crazy high in iron and minerals. My foreman brought a test kit and the pH was way off. Has anyone else run into bad water messing up a batch?

Why does nobody talk about the weight of a full hod?

I was reading an old safety manual from the 80s I found at a yard sale last week. It said a standard hod loaded with 40 bricks weighs over 150 pounds. I've been carrying those things for 15 years and never actually did the math. That's a crazy load to be hauling up a ladder all day. How do you guys manage the strain on your back and shoulders over the years?

TIL some guys are still using a 4-foot level for long brick runs

I was helping a buddy finish a garden wall in his yard last week, and I saw him pull out his trusty 4-footer to check a 20-foot stretch. I had to stop him, man. He was lining up each section perfectly, but when we stepped back, the whole thing had a slight wave, like a gentle roller coaster. It took us an hour to fix it with a proper 8-foot level. The short one just can't catch that long, slow curve over a big distance. You get each little bit flat, but the whole line drifts. Now I keep a beat-up old 8-footer in my truck just for loaning out. Anyone else run into this and have a good way to explain it to new guys without sounding like a know-it-all?

Unpopular opinion: I tried a fast-setting mortar on a patio in Florida humidity and it was a disaster

Honestly, it started going off in the bucket after 20 minutes and I had to scrap a whole batch. Anyone else have a go-to mix for hot, wet climates?

Showerthought: I was at the old courthouse in Springfield and realized the brickwork on the foundation is still perfect after 110 years.

It made me wonder what mortar mix they used back then that's held up so much better than some of the stuff we see failing after 30.

Watch out for old brick ties on these 1920s Chicago jobs

Had to replace a whole section of wall on a house built in 1923. Figured it was a two day job, tops. The old metal ties were rusted solid and fused to the brick, so every single one had to be cut out with a grinder. That alone added a full day. Ended up taking four days total and I had to special order the new ties. Anyone else run into this with pre-war brickwork?