Appreciation post: That old mason in Raleigh who showed me how to actually butter a brick

Back in 2018 I was working on a retaining wall job near Lake Johnson and this older guy walks up, sees me struggling with mud falling off every brick. He grabbed my trowel and showed me this wrist flick that lays the mud on smooth and fast. I was doing it all wrong for like 2 years before that. Has anyone else had a random stranger on site give you a tip that stuck with you?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesley_adams1mo ago

Hold on, is "buttering a brick" really that deep? You make it sound like he revealed the secrets of the universe. It's just mud on a brick, not brain surgery. Pretty sure most guys figure that out in a week, not two years. A wrist flick is just a wrist flick.

theagibson1mo ago

My uncle showed me that wrist flick on a job site back in '08. First dozen bricks I laid, mortar was all over the place, drips everywhere. After he corrected my grip and I got that snap down, the mud stayed put. Cut my cleanup time in half easy. It's one of those things where you don't get it until you actually feel it.

theagibson1mo ago

Started using that same trick myself after watching a buddy lay bricks on his patio. He showed me how a quick twist of the wrist spreads the mortar just right, and it really did save me a ton of time cuz I wasn't constantly picking up fallen clumps. Took me maybe three or four sessions to really get the hang of it, not two years but also not just one try. Once you feel that little snap in your hand, it clicks and you notice the difference in how even the lines come out. For me, it was one of those small things that turned a frustrating job into something I actually didn't mind doing. So yeah, I get why some folks act like it's a big deal, cuz it really does change how the work feels.