I know everyone swears by the plastic bed joint reinforcement strips for long walls, but after building a 40-foot garden wall in Spokane last fall, I found that using a proper lime mortar with the right mix and a slower cure gave me zero cracks, while the neighbor's wall with the strips had three vertical cracks by spring.

Has anyone else had a wall hold up better without those plastic strips, or was I just lucky with the weather?

2 comments

2 Comments

That "slower cure" you mentioned is key. Those plastic strips can mess with the natural drying of the mortar, especially in a place with big temperature swings like Spokane.

the_pat1d ago

My uncle built a 40 foot retaining wall in Coeur d'Alene without any strips. He used a lime mix too and it's been solid for ten years. Those plastic things can create a weak spot where water gets in and freezes. Your neighbor's wall cracked right where the strips end, didn't it? Good mortar and letting it dry slow is the real fix. The strips are just a band aid for bad mix or fast work.