I finally caught my mortar mix mistake after 8 years

Been laying brick for 8 years. Always mixed my mortar by eye. Water, sand, cement. Just went by feel. Last month on a job in Arlington, I had this one brick keep sliding out of place after I set it. Happened 3 times on the same course. My foreman walked over and just looked at my mix. He said "that's soup, not mud". Told me I was adding too much water by nearly a quart per batch. I was basically using watered down paste. No wonder my walls never felt as solid as the old timers' work. Got a bucket and measured exact amounts next batch. Night and day difference. Everything locked in tight. Anyone else have a boss call them out on something basic after years of doing it wrong?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliviabennett6d ago

The foreman pointing out a quart difference after 8 years is crazy. How did you even develop that habit in the first place, like were you trained that way or just picked it up on your own? Because that kind of muscle memory is hard to break.

theaw656d ago

8 years and he still spotted a quart off, that's a good set of eyes. Makes you wonder if the guy who trained him had the same habit or if he just figured it out on his own out of necessity. Do you think he started doing it because he got burned one time pouring a little too much and it caused a problem down the line, or was he just that particular about his work from day one? Because that kind of precision doesn't just happen by accident, it's usually born from some lesson learned the hard way.