Loading…
13
My boss in Phoenix swore by a 3/8 inch joint for cinder block, but I had to learn the hard way.
He was a great guy, taught me a lot, but he was stuck on that 3/8 inch joint for everything. We were doing a big garden wall last fall, and he was out sick for a week. The specs for the job clearly called for a 1/2 inch mortar joint. I figured, what's an eighth of an inch, right? I did it his way to keep things moving. When the inspector came, he failed the whole first course because the joint was too thin. I had to tear out and re-lay about 40 blocks by myself. It was a long, quiet day. Now I always check the plans twice, no matter what anyone says. Has anyone else had a plan detail bite them because you went with 'the way we always do it'?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
the_patricia6mo ago
You ever get a copy of the specs and physically highlight the joint size on your set? I started doing that after a similar mess, just a big yellow mark right on the page so my brain can't ignore it.
6
josephs265mo ago
Wish I could say highlighting saved me, but my brain just treats it like wallpaper after a while. Emeryking is right about the load, but the real kicker is when the wrong joint messes up your coursing and you're cutting every other brick. Now I take a sharpie and circle the joint size AND write the brick count per course right in the margin. Forces you to actually read it before you start laying anything out.
1
emeryking6mo ago
That eighth of an inch really does matter for structural reasons. Mortar joints are sized in the plans for a specific load and bond. It's a tough lesson but checking the specs always pays off.
1