Question about laying block wet vs dry, which way do you run

Started out soaking every block in a tub before laying. Old crew boss in Akron drilled that into me back in 2010. Mortar stuck nice but the wall was a mess, blocks heavy as sin and the joints kept squeezing out. Now I lay dry and just wet the mortar board. Whole wall goes up cleaner and faster. But a guy on my crew swears the wet block bonds better and won't budge when it cures. Two sides here. Wet for grab or dry for speed? What do you all run on a block wall and why?

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clairer7912d ago

Wet block is the right call and your old boss knew what he was doing. Dry block sucks the water right out of the mortar before it can set, so the bond never really grabs. That's why guys wet the block, so the mortar cures slow and strong instead of drying out crumbly. Sure it's heavier and the joints squeeze, but that's a mud problem, not a block problem. Mix your mortar a touch stiffer and the squeeze stops. Speed doesn't matter if the wall fails a few years down the road. Give me the wet block every time.

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