Just realized I was mixing my mud way too wet for years

It was a job in Phoenix last summer, and my apprentice asked why our block wall was sagging before it set. An old timer on site took one look at my mix and said, 'That's soup, son, not mortar.' He showed me his mix, which held its shape in a ball without dripping. I switched to that consistency and the next wall went up straight and solid. Anyone else have a simple tip that fixed a bad habit?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_abby2mo ago

Oh man, the weather thing is so true. I messed up a patio in Florida once by going too dry, it just crumbled. Gotta watch the humidity as much as the heat.

murray.rowan2mo ago

Read a thing once that said if your mortar drips off the trowel, it's too wet to set right. That old timer was spot on with the ball test. Makes you wonder how many walls out there are leaning because of a simple mix mistake.

richard_ross2mo ago

Spot on about the ball test, but @murray.rowan, that drip thing isn't a perfect rule. If you're working in real dry heat like Phoenix, a tiny bit of drip can be okay because the sun and wind will suck the moisture out crazy fast. The real test is if it holds its shape when you make a fist. I've seen guys in humid places make their mix too dry because they were scared of any drip, and then the bond fails because it sets before you can tool the joint. You gotta adjust for the weather, not just the trowel.