theagibson•16d agoMost Upvoted

Old mason told me to stop buttering both ends of every brick

I was on a big retaining wall job outside of Columbus last spring, buttering every head joint like my life depended on it. This crusty old mason with a bent trowel walked by, watched me for a minute, then said "You're wasting half your mud and slowing yourself down." He showed me how to just butter one end of the brick and let the suction do the work on the other side. I tried it on the next course and honestly cut my mortar waste by probably 30 percent that afternoon. It felt wrong at first, but after a few rows I saw my joints were just as tight and I was moving way faster. Has anyone else had an old timer give them a tip that totally changed their basic technique?

2 comments

2 Comments

martinez.kim16d ago

Ha, that's a good one, my old man swore by buttering only one end and letting the bed joint pull the mud.

jake98616d ago

Gotta butter both ends or the wall side won't grab the thinner mud right.