Watched a foreman fix a bad corner joint with a wet sponge in 30 seconds flat

I was on a site in Birmingham last Tuesday and this old guy just dabbed a sponge on a messed up mortar joint and it blended in perfect like magic. How do you guys deal with mortar that sets too fast in hot weather without ruining the whole row?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy43922d ago

Is that sponge trick something you can do on any joint that's still a bit wet, or does it only work on new work? I remember one time in August I was laying block and the sun just baked the mortar before I could even tool it. Ended up having to keep a spray bottle on my belt like a water gun and mist the joints as I went, felt like a mad scientist but it worked okay.

harper_gibson222d ago

Might depend on how crusty it is, but I've had decent luck hitting older joints with a damp sponge too as long as they aren't fully set. @troy439 your spray bottle method honestly sounds smarter than trying to tool rock-hard mortar. At that point you're basically just dusting it off and calling it good anyway.