Old timer on a job in Cincinnati told me my mortar mix was too wet

I was working on a retaining wall two summers ago and this guy named Gene who's been laying brick since the 70s walked over and said 'son, that mud is soup'. I was mixing it wet so it would spread easy but he showed me a test where you make a ball and toss it. If it sticks to your hand or flattens out like a pancake it's too wet. You want it to hold shape but crack a little when you squeeze. I started mixing it drier and my work held up way better after rain. Anyone else have an old school trick that saved you a lot of redo work?

3 comments

3 Comments

wood.uma12d ago

The ball test is a good one but you gotta be careful with that 'crack a little' part. If the mortar is cracking on its own when you squeeze it, it might already be too dry and won't grab the brick right. You want it to hold together but still feel a little sticky, not crack apart.

-1

laura_black6d ago

So it's like a Goldilocks thing but with mud.

the_sean11d ago

Why not let the mortar crack a little though? If it's crumbling when you squeeze it, that's different from a hairline crack showing up. I've had plenty of mortar that cracked slightly on the ball test but still bonded fine once I threw it on the brick. The real problem is water, not a tiny crack. Too wet and it slumps, too dry and it won't stick, but a little crack doesn't mean it's dead yet. You can always spritz the back of the brick if you're worried about grab. How much moisture do you aim for in your mix?