The wooden float trick that fixed my mortar issue

I was having trouble with mortar sticking to my trowel on a hot job last August in Phoenix. An old bricklayer I met on site told me to wet my wooden float and tap it dry before using it. That one little step cut my cleanup time by half and the mortar laid way smoother. Has anyone else tried this or got a better way for hot weather work?

2 comments

2 Comments

webb.stella25d ago

That "cut my cleanup time by half" line makes me wonder... sounds like you just swapped one wet tool for another, which on a 110 degree day in Phoenix is gonna dry out just as fast in my experience. I've always figured a dry trowel lets you control the mortar better without it sliding off all weird.

the_gray24d ago

My buddy Dave tried something similar up in Flagstaff last summer. He said the wet float just turned his mortar into a soupy mess after about ten minutes.