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Got told my mortar mix was 'sloppy as soup' by a foreman on a Denver job last year. Switched to measuring by weight, not volume, and my walls got STRAIGHT.
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river_dixon14d ago
That's the worst feeling, getting called out like that.
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julia_carter6115d ago
Yeah, that's the only way to do it right. I got chewed out for the same thing early on. My boss made me mix a small batch by weight on a scale, then showed me how much water it actually needed. It was way less than I was guessing. My consistency got solid after that, no more slump. Sticking to the weight on the bag changed everything for me.
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the_mia14d ago
But honestly, I've had the total opposite experience. Weighing everything out sounds good in theory, but on a real job site it just slows you down. You get a feel for the right consistency after mixing enough batches. The bag instructions are a starting point, but conditions change all the time. Humidity, the brand of mud, even the temperature can change how much water you need. Sticking to a strict weight just makes you ignore those factors.
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theajohnson7d ago
Exactly, you learn to read the mix as you go. I wasted so much time early on trying to measure perfectly, only to have a batch turn out wrong because the air was super dry that day. Now I just go by look and feel, adding water slow until it's right.
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