TIL the hard way not to buy cheap mortar mix from the discount bin

I grabbed 10 bags of this off-brand mix at a closeout sale for $3 a bag, thought I was saving like $40. Mixed up the first batch and it was all lumpy, wouldn't hold a line, and crumbled after two days. I ended up tearing out a whole half-wall I built in my backyard in Denver, wasted about 6 hours of labor. Lesson learned, stick with the name brand stuff even if it costs more. Anyone else get burned by a bad batch of mix before?

2 comments

2 Comments

evac7215d ago

Feel your pain on this one. I grabbed some clearance mix from a big box store a few years back to do my front steps in Portland. Mixed it up and it was like trying to spread wet sand, just crumbly and awful. Within a week it was cracking everywhere, had to jackhammer the whole thing out and start over. The name brand stuff is pricier but at least it actually sets right and doesn't waste a whole weekend of your life.

lee_butler14d ago

Totally been there @evac72. I once tried to patch a crack in my driveway with some off-brand mix and ended up with a blob that looked like a failed science experiment (my neighbor still brings it up). Learned that lesson the hard way too.