I was laying a herringbone patio in my backyard and my neighbor, a retired mason, came over and said 'kid, your bed's too dry, it's gonna suck the life out of that mortar before it even sets'.

I'd been mixing my mud way too stiff for years because I hated how sloppy wet mortar felt, but after that patio started crumbling in a few spots last fall, I finally listened and now I keep a spray bottle handy to mist the bricks as I go, does anyone else have a trick for judging the perfect wetness?

3 comments

3 Comments

jake_patel9d agoMost Upvoted

Honestly, that's a tough lesson to learn the hard way. What mix ratio are you using now? I got in the habit of checking the bed with my trowel, if it holds a clean line when you cut it, you're usually in a good spot. Too dry and it just crumbles apart.

ryan_black9d ago

Test the bed with your knuckle. If it leaves a clear print without water pooling, you're good. That old mason was right, dry beds are a killer.

wood.uma9d ago

Watch how the mortar sticks to your trowel when you flick it. If it just slides off clean, it's too wet, but if it kinda hangs on there for a second, you're golden. Jake_patel's line trick works for the bed, but this checks the mix itself. Took me a while to get that feel right, lol.