For years I was mixing my mortar too wet without even realizing it

I was working on a garden wall in Portland last August and kept having bricks slide around on me. An old timer walked by and said my mix looked like soup and that's when it clicked I was adding way too much water. Anyone else have that moment where you figured out you were doing a basic thing wrong this whole time?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade7382mo ago

Had the exact same problem with a sidewalk project last spring, kept wondering why my mud was just sliding off the trowel. Cut the water back by about a quarter and everything finally stayed put, felt pretty dumb for not figuring it out sooner. Once you get that mix where it holds a shape but still spreads easy it changes everything.

anna9832mo ago

Wait, you mean I've been using too much water this whole time? I always thought wetter was better because it seemed easier to work with, but I kept getting that crumbling, sliding mess you're talking about. Honestly, I just figured that's how concrete was supposed to feel and I was doing something else wrong. Hearing you say cutting the water by a quarter fixed it makes me want to try that next time, because I've definitely been frustrated with it not holding shape. Maybe that's why my last little patio slab ended up with a weird texture that I couldn't smooth out. I'm starting to think I've been making mud soup for no reason for years now.

the_olivia23d ago

Mud soup... that's the perfect way to put it lol. @jade738 is right, once you get that mix dialed in it's night and day. My first few tries at a fire pit pad were so wet I was basically just pouring watery cement sludge that never set right, had to chip it all out and start over. Cutting the water back by about 20% felt too dry at first, but after mixing for a minute it came together perfect and held shape like magic.