Mortar was too wet on a job last Tuesday, cost me half a day

I was laying brick for a retaining wall in Portland and mixed my mortar a bit too soupy. The first few courses slid around on me, and I had to pull them all out after they set crooked. Took me about 4 hours to redo everything with a dryer mix. Has anyone else had trouble finding the right consistency for wet weather jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomasshah1d ago

Mix it a bit stiffer in Portland's wet weather, just enough to hold a crumble when squeezed.

johnson.jason1d ago

Had a buddy try to lay brick in a Seattle drizzle last month with normal mix, ended up scraping it off the tarp and starting fresh. He swears by keeping it dry enough that it barely sticks together when you squeeze it.