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?

3 comments

3 Comments

emery_white1d ago

My last arch took four attempts before the mortar stopped sagging.

dianahayes23h ago

What finally did the trick on that fourth try? I'm guessing you had to tweak the mix or the support method, since that's usually the culprit when mortar won't hold its shape.

patricialee23h ago

So what's the secret, just being really stubborn? (My arches always look like a sad cartoon smile until I give up.)