Old timer at the job site told me my mortar mix was too rich

I was working a retaining wall job in Trenton last week and this guy who's been laying brick since the 80s walks up. He watched me mix a batch and just said "son, you're gonna have cracks come spring." Said I was using way too much Portland cement. I always thought more cement meant stronger joints but he explained it makes the mortar too rigid. When the ground shifts it'll crack instead of flex. He showed me his mix ratio and it was maybe 1 part cement to 4 parts sand. Has anyone else been told they're using too much cement in their mix?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabeth_gonzalez1mo ago

Did that old timer happen to mention what kind of sand he uses too? Ive seen guys swear by sharp sand for retaining walls cause it grabs better than the soft stuff you get at the big box stores. Learned that one the hard way after a wall I built started bulging out after a hard rain.

the_vera1mo agoMost Upvoted

Man. This is the same thing with literally everything now. People think more of something equals better. More cement, more sugar in the coffee, more emails to prove you're working. It's like we forgot the point is to get the job done right, not just cram it full of stuff. That old timer saved you a headache. The ground moves, walls flex, and if your mix is too hard it just snaps like a dry twig. I see this with woodworking guys too. They drown everything in glue thinking it'll hold forever but then the wood splits somewhere else. It's all the same. Less is usually smarter.