Warning: That mortar mix at the Home Depot in Spokane almost cost me a wall

I grabbed a pallet of their store brand type S mortar last month for a retaining wall job. After three days of curing, I noticed hairline cracks in the joints that just kept spreading. Turns out the batch had way too much air entrainment for structural work, at least according to the supplier I called. Has anyone else run into bad mixes from big box stores, or did I just get unlucky with that one load?

3 comments

3 Comments

amyh1212d ago

At least your wall now has built in character cracks.

emmamason12d ago

Did you try using a putty knife and some spackle to smooth it out? @amyh12 I had a wall that did the same thing after a leaky pipe was fixed, and honestly a thin layer of joint compound worked way better than anything else I tried. Just sand it down gently with fine grit paper, then prime it before painting so the texture doesn't show through again. The crack might come back over time if it's structural, but at least you can make it less obvious for now.

theas2812d ago

Man that really stinks. Three days of work just to watch it fall apart sounds like a nightmare. Big box stores are so hit or miss with their bulk materials, I've had a few close calls myself with their concrete mixes. At least you caught it before the whole wall came down on you, some people don't notice until things are really bad. Hope the supplier actually helped you out with a replacement or refund.