Old timer told me to wet my bricks before laying them in summer heat

I was working a retaining wall job in Phoenix last July and this retired bricklayer named Dave told me to soak my bricks in a bucket before laying them. I tried it on one section and the mortar held way better than the dry bricks I used on the other side. Has anyone else found that wetting bricks helps in hot weather or is it just for certain types of clay?

2 comments

2 Comments

jason25013d ago

Dude wait, a trough? Like a whole dedicated water trough just for bricks? That's wild but honestly makes total sense in that heat.

gavin8014d ago

My buddy Mike had a patio crew in Tucson that ran into the same thing. They were setting pavers on a 110 degree day and the mortar kept drying out before they could even set the brick right. Their foreman made them dunk every single brick in a trough for a few seconds first. It was a total game changer, the mix stayed workable and the bond was solid. That crew still does it on every hot weather job now. It keeps the brick from sucking all the moisture out of the mortar too fast.