My mortar mix went wrong on a job in Austin last summer and I still stand by my ratios

3 comments

3 Comments

Oh man, I gotta disagree with you on that. I mean, mortar ratios in Austin during summer are basically a different science. That heat and humidity mess everything up way more than people give it credit for. Idk if your mix was just too dry or what, but I've seen too many jobs crack because someone stuck to their "tried and true" numbers instead of adjusting for the weather. Maybe it's just me but I feel like you gotta cut back on the water way more when it's 100 degrees out. I bet if you did the same job in spring it would've held up fine though.

casey8181d agoTop Commenter

and that right there is the thing man. it's the same with basically everything in life, not just flatwork. people get locked into a process and think it's bulletproof, but the real world doesn't care about your routine. i've seen it with cooking too, follow a recipe to the letter but your oven runs hot or the flour is a different brand and everything falls apart. or car maintenance, someone swears by the same oil weight for twenty years but doesn't account for how they drive now. you gotta read the room, or in this case read the weather and the materials. sticking to a set number when conditions change just feels like setting yourself up for a headache. your mileage is always gonna vary, that's just how it works.

aaron8801d ago

Isn't that just what we call "life" though lmao?