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?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael_coleman1015d ago

Read a thing from a mason out in Tucson. He soaks his bricks overnight, no joke. Says the clay just drinks up the water in that dry heat. Your uncle was giving you the good advice.

the_tessa15d ago

Oh wow, that totally makes sense with the dry heat. My buddy tried to build a small garden wall in Nevada once and skipped the soaking step. He said the mortar dried out almost before he could set the brick, it was a crumbly mess. He had to chip it all out and start over after letting the bricks sit in a tub for a full day. That desert air just pulls the moisture right out.

jennifer_jenkins15d ago

Reminds me of helping my dad repoint our old chimney in Arizona. He had me mist the bricks with a garden hose every twenty minutes while he worked, said it was like trying to lay bricks on a sponge. The mortar still set up way too fast and we ended up with a bunch of hairline cracks by the next season.