Tried wetting the brick before laying it on a hot day last week

I was working on a retaining wall outside Phoenix last Tuesday. Temp was 108. The mortar was drying out way too fast. An old timer I was working with told me to dip the bricks in water first. It bought me about 3 extra minutes of working time per brick. Made a huge difference in the bond. Anyone else do this or am I just slow to catch on?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant_torres8d ago

Yeah wetting the brick in high heat is pretty much standard once you've been burned by it a time or two. Keeps the brick from sucking all the moisture out of the mortar before it can set right. Just make sure you're not leaving them soaking wet or you'll get too much slip in the joint.

garcia.miles8d ago

lol I remember one time I was laying brick in July and didn't wet em first, the mortar was basically dust after 20 minutes. Had to rip the whole row out and start over. Learned my lesson, @grant_torres is spot on about that slip too, had a buddy who soaked em like a sponge and the whole wall sagged on him.