c/bricklayers

I thought those laser levels were just a gimmick for new guys

My boss on a job in Charlotte last month insisted we use one for a long garden wall. I figured my string line was fine, but after setting up the laser, we laid 500 bricks in a day with a perfect line the whole way. It cut our checking time in half and the client loved the straight look. What other tools did you guys think were a waste but turned out to be a big help?

Vent: A simple brick arch took me three whole days to get right

I was working on a small garden wall with a basic arch over a weekend project. I thought it would be a quick job, maybe half a day. I cut the plywood form and started laying the bricks, but getting the mortar joints even and the curve smooth was way harder than I expected. Every time I stepped back, the line looked off, so I kept pulling bricks and redoing sections. It finally looked good after about 20 hours of work spread over three days. Has anyone else had a simple detail turn into a huge time sink like that? What's your trick for keeping arches clean?

Saw a brick arch in Charleston that made me stop and stare

I was down in Charleston, South Carolina last weekend visiting family... and I walked past this old carriage house off King Street. The whole thing was brick, but the arch over the main door was something else. It wasn't just a simple curve... the bricks were cut into these really thin, wedge-shaped pieces called voussoirs. The joints were maybe an eighth of an inch, perfectly even all the way around. You could tell whoever laid it really knew their stuff, because the arch had zero sag after what must be over a hundred years. It made me think about how we mostly do straight runs now... I haven't built a true arch since my apprenticeship. Has anyone here done a restoration job on something like that recently? I'd love to hear what mortar mix you used to match the old work.

Hot take: My old boss was wrong about mixing mortar in the cold

When I was an apprentice in Buffalo, my boss would always say you could mix mortar in any weather if you just worked fast. He told me, 'Just add a bit more water and get it on the wall, the sun will fix it.' I followed that for years until a big job last November. We had a cold snap, about 28 degrees, and I mixed a batch for a chimney repair. By the next morning, the whole thing was powdery and crumbled when I touched it. I had to tear it all out and start over, costing us a full day and about $300 in materials. Now I use heated water and a tarp no matter what, and I keep a thermometer in the mix. Has anyone else had a job fail because of bad cold weather advice?

Tried a new lime mix for a chimney rebuild in St. Louis and it set way too fast

I mixed a bag of that NHL 3.5 lime with local sand for a historic repair job, aiming for a slow set to match the old mortar. It went off like a rocket in under an hour, even in the shade, and I barely got the top courses laid. Has anyone else had this happen with natural hydraulic lime in hot weather, and what's your trick for slowing it down?

PSA: I switched from a standard 10-inch trowel to a 12-inch for a big foundation job in Tacoma.

The extra width let me lay more mortar per pull, so I finished the first course in about 30% less time. Anyone else find a bigger trowel speeds up your work on long runs?

Just saw a brick arch from 1923 that's still perfect

Was at the old train station in Columbus yesterday and they had a small info sign about the brickwork. The main arch over the old ticket window was built in 1923 and there isn't a single crack or sag in it. The joints are still tight and the soldier course above it is dead straight. Makes you think about the guys who laid it a hundred years ago. What's the oldest brickwork you've seen that's still holding up that well?

That moment when your line snaps on a big brick run

Had my mason line break halfway through a 40 foot run on a garden wall last Friday. I was using some old nylon stuff from a bulk buy and it just gave out. What kind of line do you guys trust for long pulls?

Just had a brick saw blade snap on me mid-job in Akron

It was a 14-inch diamond blade from a brand I've used for years, and it just gave out while cutting some heavy pavers. I had to run to the local supply house and grab a new one, which set me back about $85 and an hour of lost time. Has anyone else had this happen with a blade that seemed fine? I'm thinking maybe the arbor nut was a bit loose.

A weird old chimney in a Portland house took me three days to figure out

The flue was built with a hidden offset that didn't show up on any of the drawings, so my whole layout was wrong. I spent about 24 hours total just measuring and re-measuring before I found the right angle to tie the new brickwork into it. Has anyone else run into a sneaky design like that in an old chimney?

Am I the only one who got stuck for hours on a simple-looking brick soldier course?

Had a 20-foot run that should've taken maybe 90 minutes, but the old brick was so inconsistent in size it took me almost 4 hours to get it straight and level. Do you guys just cut to fit or try to sort through the pile for better matches first?

Pro tip: test your mortar mix before you commit to a whole wall

Last Thursday I tried a new 'fast set' additive in my mix for a small garden wall in Denver. The bag said 30 minutes, but it started going off in under 15 (it was a hot day, my bad). I lost about $40 worth of material and had to chip out half a course. Learned to always do a small test batch with new products, especially when the temperature isn't ideal. Anyone have a go-to additive that's more forgiving in the heat?

Watch out for that new 'fast set' mortar mix they're selling now

I picked up a bag of RapidSet MortarMix from the supply house last week for a small repair job on a chimney crown. The box said it sets in an hour, which sounded great for a quick fix. I mixed a small batch like usual, but it started to get hard in the bucket after maybe 15 minutes, way faster than I expected. I barely got it all placed before my trowel was sticking to it. The real problem came the next day when I checked the bond, it was chalky and weak right at the surface. I think the fast set time messes with the full cure strength if you're not laying brick on brick in perfect conditions. Has anyone else had a bad time with these quick mixes on repair work? What do you use instead when you need a faster job?

Warning: My mortar mixer threw a rod halfway through a big patio job

It happened last Thursday on a 400 square foot job in Springfield. The old 8 cubic foot mixer just locked up with a loud bang and smoke came out. I had to run to the rental yard for a new one, which cost me two hours and $150. Has anyone else had a mixer fail like that, and what's your backup plan?

The week we laid 12,000 bricks for a curved wall in Phoenix

Last July, we had a job for a big curved garden wall at a house in Phoenix. The plans called for a tight radius and the architect wanted a specific brick pattern that slowed us down at first. By Wednesday, the crew had the rhythm down and we were laying almost 2,000 bricks a day in that 110-degree heat. The foreman kept a cooler full of ice water and Gatorade right at the line, which made a huge difference. We finished the main run on Friday afternoon and the curve looked perfect, no bulges. What's the most brick you've ever laid in a week on a complex job like that?

Got called out for my sloppy pointing on a chimney job in Denver

The foreman said my joints looked 'like a kid with a frosting bag' and made me redo the whole south face. I started using a hawk and trowel to pack the mortar in tighter instead of just slapping it on. Anyone got a better trick for keeping your lines sharp on a tall stack?

Had a client in Phoenix ask for a 12-inch thick brick wall for a garden feature last week. They said it needed to 'feel historic'.

I argued it was overkill and a waste of material, but my partner said to just give the customer what they want. We ended up using a double wythe with a cavity, but it felt wrong. Do you ever push back on a design you think is just bad building?

I was laying a herringbone patio in Sacramento and the homeowner's kid asked why the bricks 'danced'

Trying to explain the pattern to a 5-year-old made me realize I'd been overthinking my layout marks for years. Anyone else have a simple trick for keeping that pattern square over a big area?

Hot take: I thought those new polymer mortar mixes were just a gimmick for lazy work.

I got a sample of a brand called FlexSet from a rep at a trade show in Boise last year and figured it was junk. Then we had a job with a tricky, moving retaining wall in a wet area, and the old foreman swore by it. We used it, and after a full season of freeze and thaw, that wall hasn't budged a millimeter. Has anyone else had to eat their words on a new material that actually worked?

My uncle told me to always soak my bricks for at least 6 hours before a big job in Phoenix heat

I thought it was overkill and just gave them a quick splash for a patio last July... the mortar dried way too fast and the whole thing was a crumbly mess. Had to tear out and re-lay about 200 bricks. Anyone else have a specific soak time they swear by for hot, dry climates?

Finished my first solo chimney rebuild today and didn't drop a single brick

PSA: Checked out that new library building in Tacoma and the brickwork on the arches is a total mess, joints are all over the place.

Thought mixing mortar by hand was fine until a job in Phoenix last month

Last month I was on a big patio job in Phoenix, 90 degrees by 8am. My helper and I were mixing by hand, and by noon we were wrecked, slow, and the mortar was setting up too fast. The foreman brought over his portable mixer and said, 'Just try it for one batch.' We did the next section in half the time with way better consistency. I used to think it was a waste for small crews, but fighting that heat changed my mind. Anyone else switch to a mixer after resisting it for a while?

A job in Charleston made me rethink my whole mortar mix

We were repointing an old brick wall down by the waterfront last spring, and the humidity was just brutal. My usual mix was setting up way too fast, making the joints look rushed and sloppy. The foreman, a guy named Earl who's been laying brick since the 70s, saw me struggling and said, 'Son, the weather writes the recipe, not the bag.' He had me add a bit more lime and cut the sand with some extra fine aggregate. The workability was a total game changer. Has anyone else had to adjust their mix for a specific climate like that?

Appreciation post: Switched to a 9-inch trowel for my pointing work

I used a 6-inch trowel for years, thinking it gave me more control. After a job in Austin last month, I tried a 9-inch one and it cut my time in half because I cover more area per swipe. Anyone else find a bigger tool actually makes detail work faster?