Hot take: That 30 minute mortar rest after mixing isn't optional, it's the whole game

I spent my first year wondering why my joints kept cracking on hot days until I timed my mix on a job in Phoenix last August and realized I was going straight from the mixer to the wall instead of letting it slake properly.

2 comments

2 Comments

torres.leo7d ago

Waited exactly 30 minutes on a job last week and my mud was like butter. Tried rushing it the week before and had to grind out hairline cracks with a diamond wheel. Guess which one took less time in the end? It's like they put that number on the bag for a REASON or something.

thea7047d ago

Is anyone else out here factoring in humidity when they time their slake? @torres.leo nailed it about the 30 minutes being the sweet spot, but I swear nobody talks about how the air moisture changes things. I was on a job in Seattle where it was foggy and wet, and my mix actually needed like 45 minutes to set right. The dry Arizona air sucks the water out faster, so you gotta work quicker after the slake. It's not just a timer on the bag, it's a whole science experiment with the weather. People hate on the waiting but that's when the chemistry actually happens.