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?

3 comments

3 Comments

webb.stella2mo 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_sage21h ago

Honestly, your point about Phoenix heat is spot on. My uncle tried wet trowels on a job outside of Tucson and said the water just evaporated before he could even get it on the wall. He ended up switching back to dry after one afternoon of fighting with crusty mortar.

the_gray2mo 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.