Old foreman told me to butter ends first, not the face

Been laying block for 8 years and always buttered the vertical face first. Had a grizzled old foreman in Birmingham tell me to flip that around and I laughed at him. Tried it on a retaining wall last month and my joints came out way cleaner with less mortar drop.

3 comments

3 Comments

andrew9161mo ago

Huh. It's funny how that mirrors a lot of other things too. I noticed the same kind of thing with cooking - people always sear the outside of a steak first to lock in moisture, but doing it the other way around actually gives you better flavor on the inside. Kinda like how in woodworking, you're supposed to sand with the grain but sometimes going against it first cleans things up faster. There's probably something to this, where the conventional way isn't always the best way once you actually get your hands dirty. I think a lot of trades have that stubborn old school habit that gets passed down without question.

lisar142mo ago

Nah, you're right that buttering the ends first helps with cleaner joints, but you gotta be careful not to skimp on the face side too much or you'll end up with weak spots in the bond. Just make sure you're still getting good coverage on both.

noah_barnes2mo ago

See it a little different actually... been doing this long enough to know that buttering ends first can sometimes trap air pockets if you're not careful with the mud consistency. Thicker mix might be fine but thinner stuff? Ends up pushing out and leaving gaps on the face side that look fine until they crumble a year later. Always found it better to hit the face first and let the excess squish out to the ends, then touch up the edges after. Ends up with a stronger bond where it matters most - the center of the joint where all the stress hits.