Old foreman swore by water on the mortar board

My last foreman told me never to add water to mortar on the board, said it ruins the bond. I did it anyway on a hot day job in Austin and the wall cracked three weeks later. Any other masons seen this backfire too?

3 comments

3 Comments

burns.jenny2mo ago

The water softens the mortar so it slides right off the brick instead of bonding.

danielkim2mo ago

So how do you keep it from washing out the joints?

milacraig2mo ago

Gotta be careful with that, @danielkim. The water works but too much can just wash the whole joint out.