A quick thing about mixing mortar that I see a lot of guys mess up

I was helping a friend on a patio job in Denver last summer and watched him add all the water to his mix at once. The mortar set up way too fast and was a pain to work with. I always add about three quarters of the water first, mix it for a minute, then slowly add the rest until it's right. It gives you a much more consistent batch and saves your back from fighting stiff mud. How do you guys handle your mixing to keep it workable?

3 comments

3 Comments

river3204d ago

Honestly that's the only way to do it. Tried the dump-it-all method once and the mix was junk in like ten minutes. Now I just keep a little water in a bucket to tweak it as I go.

logan2364d ago

Gotta disagree, the dump method works fine if you mix it fast enough. That bucket trick just adds extra steps for no real payoff.

joelt704d ago

Ever tried to mix it fast with two left hands? My last attempt looked like I was trying to beat up the bucket. The bucket trick saves me from myself.