c/bricklayers

Overheard a new apprentice swear by the hawk and trowel method for everything

I was grabbing mortar at the supply yard and heard this young kid telling his buddy that you should never use a mudboard because it's old school and slow. Been laying brick for 15 years and I still use my board for half my work, especially on big runs where speed matters more than looking fancy. Who else thinks the old school ways still have a place in this trade?

Visited a historic church in Charleston last month and it flipped my opinion on restoration work.

I walked into St. Michael's Episcopal Church just to see the architecture, but I ended up staring at a 200 year old brick wall for 20 minutes. The mortar was so perfectly matched to the original that you couldn't tell which parts had been repointed. The guy working on it told me they spent 6 months just testing different sand and lime mixes before touching anything. Has anyone else had to do that kind of deep research before starting a project?

Tried a different mortar mix on a job in Cincinnati and it got weird on me

I was working on a retaining wall outside of Cincinnati last spring and decided to swap my usual type S for a type N mix I hadn't used in years. The mortar set way faster than I remembered, like 20 minutes instead of 45, and I ended up with a bunch of joints that looked crusty and uneven. My foreman said the batch I grabbed was probably old or stored wrong, but I learned to always test a small patch first before committing to a whole wall. Has anyone else run into a mortar batch that just acted completely different than expected?

Spent $80 on a laser level and it paid for itself in one day

I was laying a long garden wall last week in Columbus and kept second-guessing my lines with a string line. Grabbed a cheap laser level from the hardware store for 80 bucks and got that wall straight on the first try, saved me at least two hours of rework. Anybody else find that spending money on layout tools saves you more than you think?

Why does everyone keep buttering their frog bricks?

I was on a job with a crew in Cleveland last month and three guys all slathered butter on their frog bricks before laying them up. The mortar never set right and we had to tear out a whole wall the next day. Anyone else run into this weird old habit?

Walked past a old church in Philly last week and stopped to look at the brickwork

I was heading to a job on Market Street and noticed this church from the 1800s had all these perfect soldier courses above the windows, no chipped edges after a hundred plus years. The mortar joints were still tight and even, like the guy who laid them had a steady hand and a real eye for detail. Anyone else find themselves stopping to study old buildings and wonder what tools or methods they used back then?

That time on a job in Austin I had to rip out 3 hours of work because I skipped the string line

I was working a retaining wall in Austin last fall and got in a hurry. Thought I could just eyeball the first course and everything would level out. Three hours later I had a 40 foot wall that looked like a roller coaster. Had to tear the whole thing down and start over with proper string lines. Has anyone else had to eat a big loss like that because you skipped a basic step?

Shoutout to the guy who convinced me to try silica sand in my mortar mix

I was always a straight Portland and mason sand guy for like 10 years. My buddy Frank from a job site in Akron kept pushing this silica sand blend for better compressive strength and less cracking. I thought it was just hype. Tried it on a retaining wall last month and the difference in workability is wild. Less shrinkage too. Has anyone else made the switch or got another additive that surprised them?

Just realized the average bricklayer from the 1950s laid about 500 bricks a day

I was reading an old union manual I found at a flea market last month, and it said 500 was the standard pace back then. That got me thinking with all our modern saws and mixers, are we actually slower now or just more careful? Has anyone else run across old stats that made you stop and compare?

Just realized I been doing brick ties wrong for years

Talked to an old mason named Pete at the supply yard last Tuesday. He saw me loading up and asked what size ties I was using. I told him and he just shook his head. Said I been using the wrong ones for cavity walls this whole time. Showed me a different style and explained why. Felt kinda dumb but at least I know now. Anyone else ever get that moment where some old timer just sets you straight on something basic?

Shoutout to the old school mortar mixer I almost passed on

I was dead set against buying a used mortar mixer from the 70s. A buddy of mine in Columbus swore by it though, said it would outlast any new plastic thing. I gave him $150 for it last spring and honestly it still runs smoother than the rental I used to get. Has anyone else found older equipment that just works better than the new stuff?

Bought a cheap mortar mixer from a discount tool site and it broke after 3 batches

Tried using a bit of dish soap in my mortar mix on a hot day

It was 95 degrees in Phoenix last week and the mix was setting up way too fast. My old boss said to add a capful of Dawn to slow it down. I did, and the mortar stayed workable for almost an extra hour, but it also made the bond a bit weaker when I checked it the next day. Learned that trick is great for time, but you can't use it on load-bearing stuff. Anyone have a better fix for high heat besides just soaking the bricks more?

Just blew $400 on a 'professional' mortar mixer that clogged solid after two batches

Heard a story about a wall collapse in Cincinnati that got me thinking

My buddy told me about a job over there where they used a cheap mortar mix from a discount supplier. The whole garden wall came down after one winter because it couldn't handle the freeze-thaw cycles. It wasn't even a structural wall, but it's a good reminder to never cut corners on materials. What's the worst material failure you've seen on a job?

Question about keeping your line level on long runs

For years, I'd just trust my eyes and a short level for any wall over about 20 feet, which honestly led to some headaches (and a few callbacks). I'd be out there, constantly moving the level, trying to keep it all straight, and you know how it goes. Then, about two summers ago on a big garden wall job in Springfield, the foreman showed me this trick with a water level. You just get a clear hose, fill it with water, and use the water line at each end to mark your height. It's dead simple and cheap, maybe 15 bucks for the hose. The key is you only need two people for a second to set the marks, then you can work alone. It completely changed how I start any long run now. Has anyone else got a different method they like for this, or do you just stick with a laser?

Had a whole brick course start to lean on a chimney rebuild in Bellingham

The old flue liner was pulling it out of plumb, so I had to stop, pull the whole top section, and shim the liner with some scrap copper before starting over. Anyone ever run into something like that with an old chimney?

Rant: That job in Tacoma with the bad mortar mix almost cost me a week

The supplier gave us a batch that set up way too fast, like 15 minutes fast. We had to tear out half a wall before lunch. Anyone know a good supplier up there that's reliable?

I was sure those laser level brackets were just another gimmick to buy, but after borrowing one from a guy on a job in Boise, my lines were perfect for a whole 50-foot run.

Has anyone else had a tool they swore was junk completely prove them wrong on a specific project?

My five year old asked me why bricks have holes in them and I didn't have a good answer

I was cleaning up after a job in Denver last week, and my kid was watching me unload the truck. He pointed at a pallet of standard bricks and just asked, 'Daddy, why do they have holes?' I gave him the basic line about them being lighter and using less clay, which is what I always thought. But then he looked at me and said, 'But if they're lighter, why aren't they easier to break? The holes are like in my cheese.' That simple kid logic actually stumped me for a second. I had to go look it up later. Turns out, the holes are mostly for the kiln process so heat gets through evenly, and the mortar locks into them for a better bond. I've been laying these things for fifteen years and never really questioned it past the weight thing. It's funny how a simple question from a little guy can make you realize you just accept the basics of your own trade. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where you had to explain something you do every day and realized you didn't know the full 'why'?

Can we talk about how my plumber buddy changed my whole approach to mixing mortar

He said, 'If you're fighting the mix after 5 minutes, you started wrong,' and now I always add half the water first, let it sit for 2, then add the rest, which has saved my arms on big parging jobs.

Overheard a guy at the supply yard say 'the wall is only as good as the first course'

I was picking up some sand in Tacoma last week and this old timer was telling a younger guy about a job he saw fail. He said they rushed the base layer on a small retaining wall and the whole thing leaned after a year. It made me stop and think about how often I check my first row with the level. I probably don't do it enough. How many times do you guys double-check your starting line before you really get going?

Tried a 3:1 sand-lime mix on a garden wall and the mortar set way too fast

I was building a curved wall in a client's backyard in Phoenix last week. The old guy I got the mix ratio from swore by it for hot weather, but after laying about 15 bricks, the stuff in the tub was already going off. I had to ditch a whole batch. Learned that advice from 30 years ago doesn't always work with today's materials. Anyone got a better hot-weather mix they actually use?

Just realized I burned $300 on that 'quick-dry' mortar additive...

The rep swore it would cut cure time in half for a winter patio job, but it just made the mix weak and crumbly. Anyone else get burned by a fancy additive that promised the moon?

I thought that 'masonry laser level' was just a gimmick until my foreman made me use one on a chimney rebuild in Boise.