Mortar was setting way too fast on a job last Tuesday

I mixed a batch on a 90 degree day in Austin and had about 8 minutes before it turned to concrete in the wheelbarrow. Ended up wasting almost 2 hours just mixing small batches and cleaning crusted tools between each one. Anyone got a go-to trick for keeping mortar workable when the heat is brutal?

3 comments

3 Comments

murray.spencer1mo ago

Mix in a few ice cubes next time. Nothing like watching your money melt away in the Texas sun to remind you why you charge by the job, not the hour.

victorb171mo ago

@murray.spencer You must be a cheaper date than a leaky faucet with that logic.

grace_white14d ago

Left a cooler of ice water next to the mortar and pretended I was making a fancy cocktail.