Question about mixing mortar for hot weather

I was talking to an old mason named Pete over at the supply yard in Phoenix last month. He told me that when it hits 100 degrees, you gotta use ice water in your mix or the mortar sets up way too fast and loses its bond strength. I always just added more water when it got hot, but he said that just makes it weak and crumbly after a few years. I tried his method on a retaining wall job last week and the stuff stayed workable almost twice as long. Made me think about how many little tricks I probably skipped over the past 12 years. Anyone else got a heat trick for mixing that actually works?

3 comments

3 Comments

alice_allen51d ago

Funny you mention Pete, my granddad was a mason in Oklahoma and swore by adding a splash of lime in hot weather to keep mortar from getting grabby. Tried it on a barbecue pit last summer and it worked like a charm, honest.

nancy_king2918h ago

Wait, hold on - your granddad added lime to mortar? Like straight up regular lime? I've been doing electrical work for years and never heard of that trick for masonry, but it makes weird sense if you think about it. Lime's got that sticky quality that keeps things from drying out too fast, doesn't it? That barbecue pit must have been one solid piece of work with that old school method.

wren_mitchell1d ago

Started off thinking ice water was just overkill. Been doing masonry in Texas for 15 years and always just added extra water when it got hot. Figured that was the only way to keep it from flashing off. But I tried it on a wall last summer after a guy swore by it. Night and day difference. The mortar actually stayed workable and I didn't have to fight it to get a clean joint. Makes me kick myself for all those years of guessing wrong.