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Found a trick to keep mortar from drying out too fast on hot days
I was working a job in Austin last August and the mortar was crusting over before I could even lay three bricks. I tried spraying water on the mix but that just made it sloppy. Then an old timer walked by and told me to lay a wet burlap sack over my board between batches. I thought he was kidding but I gave it a shot and it honestly kept the mortar workable for twice as long. The burlap holds moisture without soaking the mix so you don't get that watery mess. I used a cheap sack from Home Depot for like 5 bucks and it lasted the whole week. Has anyone else tried this or do you just mix smaller batches?
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gibson.sarah1mo ago
Had a buddy try this on a roof job in Phoenix. He forgot the burlap one afternoon and his mortar was useless in twenty minutes. Next day he used wet burlap and finished the whole wall without a single re-mix.
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mark_price1mo ago
Damn that's a good tip! I read somewhere that masons back in the 1800s would soak their bricks in water before laying them on hot days too, keeps the mortar from sucking out all the moisture. I think it's the same idea with the burlap, just slows everything down enough to actually work with it. I've always just mixed small batches when it's hot but that gets old real fast when you're stopping every ten minutes to clean your tools. I'm gonna try that burlap trick next time I'm out in the heat.
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grantp281mo ago
Remembered my old man telling me wet rags on fresh concrete was the same philosophy.
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