Lost a whole wall of face brick because of a bad mix

I was working on a retaining wall out in Frederick last Tuesday and mixed up a batch of mortar that was way too wet. The whole top course started sliding after about an hour and I had to tear down 12 feet of work before it set. Has anyone else had a batch go bad on them like that and had to start over?

2 comments

2 Comments

karenf4018d agoMost Upvoted

@grant_ross27 you're basically saying it's all on me for mixing it too wet but what about the cement being a little old? I grabbed a bag from the back of the stack that might have been sitting since last fall. If the cement has any moisture in it that batch is gonna act weird no matter how stiff you mix it.

grant_ross2718d ago

Hold on a minute, that wasn't a bad mix. That was a slump issue from mixing it too wet. A bad batch usually means the sand had too much clay or the cement was old or clumped up. You just needed to keep your mortar on the stiff side for a retaining wall, especially in that heat you guys get out there.