Had to pick between a 3/8 inch and 1/2 inch joint for a big fireplace job in Denver.

The homeowner wanted a rustic look, so I went with the wider 1/2 inch joint, but now the mortar is cracking in a few spots after the first freeze. Anyone know a better mix for wide joints in cold weather?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_claire1mo ago

Yeah, that wider joint for the rustic look is a killer in the cold. I've had the same exact cracking problem with my own winter jobs.

sagea881mo ago

My old apartment in Buffalo had those wide grout lines in the kitchen. Every single winter, you could hear a new tile pop loose. It's the same with cheap laminate flooring that buckles. So much design stuff just ignores basic physics for the sake of a trend.

clairepark16d ago

Totally, @sagea88 is right, physics always wins.