Old timer told me I was wasting mortar by buttering too thick

I had this guy watch me lay a wall for 10 minutes and he said I'm using way too much mud on each brick. He showed me how a thin even spread actually grabs better and saves about 20% per batch. I tried his method on a garden wall in Austin and my joints came out cleaner with less squeeze out. Has anyone else cut back on mortar and seen better results?

2 comments

2 Comments

mila_jones393d ago

Ngl I gotta push back on this one hard. That old timer's way might work for a garden wall in Austin but if you're doing anything load bearing or in a place with freeze thaw cycles you want that extra mortar for thermal mass and structural integrity. Tbh I've seen too many thin buttered walls crumble after a couple rough winters because the bond didn't have enough depth to hold. Honestly more people need to realize that saving 20% on mud means nothing if you're replacing the whole wall in 5 years.

michaelcoleman3d ago

Had a buddy try that thin butter approach on a retaining wall up in Colorado. First big thaw and the whole thing started bowing out like a pregnant lady. He tried to patch it but the bond was so weak the whole section just peeled off like old wallpaper. Ended up tearing it all down and redoing it with a proper thick mortar bed, cost him twice what he saved. Still gives me crap about it when we fish together. You ever seen a wall fail like that firsthand?