Used to lay brick with just a level and eye, now I actually use string lines

Been bricklaying for about 12 years now. For the first 8 I thought string lines were for rookies who couldn't keep a straight bead. Then I got a job on a 60 foot retaining wall in St. Louis back in 2019. That wall was over 8 feet high and my first 3 courses were off by nearly a half inch by the time I hit the far end. My old foreman walked over and pulled out a string line. Took about 10 minutes to set it up and the rest of the wall came out dead straight. I felt like a idiot honestly. Now I use them for anything over 10 feet long. Any of you guys still skipping the string or did you learn this lesson faster than me?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennys7225d ago

Hey @angelar57, did your foreman just give you a look and a shrug like mine did? I think that's the universal brickie way of saying "told you so.

angelar5725d ago

yo did your foreman give you crap about it after? i had a buddy who laid block for like 15 years and swore by just his eye. he finally gave in on a big commercial job where the architect was checking every course with a laser. told me he spent a whole afternoon redoing the first few rows because he was off. after that he bought like three string lines and keeps one in his truck at all times. it's funny how we all gotta learn the same lesson the hard way sometimes.