Changed my mind about those quick-setting mortar bags

Bought a pallet of the 'Rapid-Set' brand for a chimney repair job, thinking it would save a day, but the stuff hardened in the mixer before I could even get half the batch on the wall. Wasted about $400 on material that's now a solid block in my tub. Anyone have a go-to mix for repointing that gives you a decent working time?

2 comments

2 Comments

colesanchez2d ago

Ouch, that's a brutal and expensive lesson to learn the hard way. Rapid set stuff can really turn on you if the weather is warm or you mix too much at once. For repointing, a standard type N mortar mix with a bit of extra lime gives a much more forgiving working time. What kind of bricks are you working with on the chimney?

betty_walker2d ago

Isn't type N a bit too hard for most older brick? In my experience, a softer lime-based mix is better to avoid cracking the bricks, @colesanchez. That extra lime you mentioned is definitely the right idea.