My mortar mix kept cracking until I changed one thing

Last month I was doing a small retaining wall in my backyard and the mortar kept cracking after three days. I was using the same mix I always use but the weather was hotter than usual. A guy at the supply yard told me to wet the bricks before laying them in summer heat. I tried it on the next section and not a single crack formed after a week. Has anyone else run into this with high temps or is it just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

danieltaylor5d ago

I saw a video from some old school mason in Texas who swears by the same trick. He said in temps over 90 degrees, dry bricks can pull moisture out of the mortar in like 10 minutes. He actually pre-wets them a few hours ahead and then covers them with a wet tarp until he's ready to lay them. Helped me out when I did a patio last August.

sagesingh5d ago

Yeah, that's pretty common. I had the same issue with a brick planter last summer, soaking the bricks made a huge difference. It stops the clay from sucking the water right out of the mortar before it can set.