Guy on a job site in Phoenix showed me why my mortar was cracking after 3 days

2 comments

2 Comments

Hold on, is it really just the mixing that caused it though? I've seen plenty of mortar mixed with just water and sand that held up fine for years in dry heat. Could be the block was too dry when you laid it up, or even the curing process after it set.

nora_wells589d ago

Man, I bet you're right about the blocks being too dry. I've had it happen before where I laid up a wall in July and the blocks just sucked the moisture right out of the mix before it could even start bonding. I always give my block a good soak with a hose an hour before I start now, especially in hot weather. Also, curing is something people skip way too often, you gotta mist that wall down for a few days after or it'll just dust out on you.