My foreman said to soak the bricks for an hour before a hot day, and the whole wall slumped.

He insisted on it for a July job in Phoenix, but the mortar set way too fast and we had to tear down half a course. What's your rule for wetting bricks in high heat?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan2361mo ago

Soaking for an hour is way too long in that heat. The bricks just get waterlogged and the mortar can't grip. A quick dunk or a heavy spray right before you lay them is usually enough. You just need to kill the suction so the brick doesn't suck all the moisture out of the mortar too fast. A fully soaked brick in Phoenix will make a real mess of your bed joint.

gibson.sarah1mo ago

That sounds like a brutal mess to clean up, and in that Phoenix heat too. Logan236 is right about the quick dunk being the way to go. A full hour soak turns them into sponges that just drown the mortar. You only need to take the edge off the brick's thirst so your joints don't dry to dust in two minutes. Watching a wall slump is the worst kind of day on the job.

susan_bell1mo ago

Ugh, totally. Seen it happen. Guy on our crew last summer soaked a whole pallet before lunch. Came back to bricks that just pushed mortar soup everywhere. His whole first course was sliding off like mud. We had to stop and pressure wash everything. That heat just cooks the water right into them. Quick spray is the only move here.