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I thought buttering the back of every brick was wasting mortar, then my uncle in Gary showed me his 40 year old wall
I used to just slap mortar on the bed and call it good, because buttering the head joint felt like extra work for no reason. Then my uncle Ray in Gary had me tap on one of his walls from 1985, and the difference in how solid it sounded next to mine made me feel dumb. Now I butter every single brick and I keep a little bucket of mortar right on the line so I do not skip it when I get moving fast. How do you all handle it on long runs, do you butter as you go or set up a few at a time?
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river_rivera457d ago
Haha yeah the tapping test will humble you real quick. Forty years of a wall holding up beats any excuse I can come up with for skipping the butter. On long runs I keep that bucket right on the line like you said... once I stop moving the trowel it's over, I start telling myself the next one can slide. Setting up a few at a time sounds smart but in my hands they just sit there drying while I fuss with the corners. So it's one at a time for me, butter, set, tap, next.
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