Old timer at the supply yard told me to wet my bricks before laying in July heat

Called him crazy until my first row started cracking 3 hours later in the Arizona sun, now I dunk every brick before I set it does anyone else pre-wet or just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

reed.eva1mo ago

Whoa, hold on there. I gotta respectfully disagree with that old timer on this one. In my experience, wetting bricks in that kind of heat can actually cause more trouble than it solves. The water soaks in and then expands when it freezes later, or it can make the mortar too wet and weak. I've seen more bricks crack from the moisture trapped inside than from dry ones just sitting in the sun. Your first row cracking was probably from the concrete slab or foundation pulling the moisture out too fast, not the bricks themselves being dry. Make sure you're misting the bed joints and your mortar mix is a little richer in lime so it doesn't set up so fast, that's usually the real fix.

sam_rivera1mo ago

Eva, I've been there too and it STINGS watching your first row crack.