Told an apprentice to stop soaking bricks before laying, got a wall full of cracks

Old timer at the supply yard swore up and down that soaking dry bricks before laying was a waste of time. Said modern mortar sticks fine without it. So I stopped doing it on a garden wall job last July. Three months later the mortar joints are shrinking and cracking like crazy in the sun. Been laying for 6 years and never had that problem when I soaked them first. Anyone else found this out the hard way?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathanj562d ago

That old timer was dead wrong. It's like people think just because something is newer or more modern it's automatically better, but some old ways exist for a reason. You found out the hard way that skipping that step in the heat was a recipe for trouble, and I bet a lot of other folks have made that same mistake chasing a quick shortcut.

gavin_hill271d ago

Interesting take @nathanj56, but I gotta say I'm not totally convinced it's always that big of a deal. Lots of pros skip the soak step and their walls are fine, especially with the modern mortars and sealers we have now. That dry July heat probably had way more to do with those cracks than the soaking part. Your mileage may vary though, this industry has a thousand ways to mess up a wall.