Took me 10 years to finally stop buttering the bricks

Back when I started in 2010 I used to wet every brick before laying because my old man swore by it. Last winter I had this job on a retaining wall in Phoenix and the mud just kept sliding off no matter what. I quit soaking them halfway through and the bond actually held better. Why do we keep doing stuff just because some guys from the 70s said so? Anyone else drop an old habit and get better results right away?

1 comments

1 Comment

faith_perez1d ago

...and here I am still buttering my toast like a chump while you're out here changing the masonry game. But for real, the old timers act like water on bricks is some sacred ritual passed down from Moses himself. My grandpa used to wet everything down so much we'd be standing in puddles like we were laying brick in a swimming pool. Turns out dry is sometimes better, go figure. Makes you wonder how many other "rules" are really just stubborn habits that stuck around too long.