Vent: A chimney job in St. Louis made me change how I mix my mortar for good

I was repointing an old brick chimney last fall, and after two days of work, a big rainstorm rolled through. The next morning, I saw my fresh mortar joints had washed out and sagged... it was a total mess. The old guy who owned the house told me his granddad always added a half bag of lime to every six bags of mix for jobs like that, and I've done it ever since. Has anyone else found a simple mix change that saved a project from the weather?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles_jackson94d ago

Ever try adding lime like @terry_mitchell?

terry_mitchell4d ago

Honestly, it's wild how much local weather changes things. I was doing a small wall in a coastal town once, and the salt air seemed to set the mortar INSTANTLY, like it was in a hurry. My usual mix felt wrong, too stiff. An old mason there saw me struggling and just said to cut the sand with a bit more lime to keep it workable in that damp air. It was a tiny change but it made all the difference. You just don't know until you're in it.