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Overheard two guys arguing about mortar mix ratios on a jobsite last week | Bricklayers - Vivisector

Overheard two guys arguing about mortar mix ratios on a jobsite last week

I was working on a retaining wall downtown and these two bricklayers got into it about using too much lime in the mix. One guy swore by 3 parts sand to 1 part cement with a pinch of lime, the other said lime makes it weak over time and causes efflorescence. I just kept laying brick and listening, you know? It got me thinking how everyone has their own little tricks passed down from whoever taught them. I've always used a 4 to 1 mix with no lime for outdoor stuff and never had issues myself. Has anyone here actually seen a job fail because of too much lime or is that just an old wives tale?

4 comments

4 Comments

jenny_lane125mo ago

4 to 1 with lime has held up fine on all my jobs for fifteen years now.

ryan7935mo ago

Preach @jenny_lane12, I've been running the same mix for over a decade with zero issues.

sarahpark5mo ago

Honestly that tracks with my experience too, I mean if something works why mess with it right? I have seen guys try to overthink these mixes and end up with issues they never had before. The 4 to 1 with lime has been a solid standard for a reason, it is forgiving enough for most conditions but still holds strong. I get that new products come out and some people swear by them but there is something to be said for a tried and true method that gets the job done every time. Plus you save yourself the headache of testing and adjusting when the old faithful mix just works.

olivia_lopez984mo ago

See this all the time with other stuff too, not just mixes. @ryan793 my dad has this same attitude with his old truck, refuses to swap out the carburetor for something newer because the original has never let him down. It's like once you find that one thing that actually works without being a pain, why would you go chasing something that might just give you headaches? People get caught up trying to reinvent the wheel when the wheel they already have is perfectly round. Same reason I still use the same hand trowel from ten years ago even though there are fancier ones out there now.