That time an old timer told me to butter the brick and not the wall

I was working on a retaining wall out in Howell last spring and this guy who's been laying brick since the 70s comes by. He watched me buttering the wall and told me I was doing it backwards. Said to put the mortar on the brick itself instead. I thought he was full of it but tried his way on the next course. Honestly it cut down on cleanup and my joints looked way cleaner. Has anyone else gotten that same advice and saw a difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_henry1mo agoMost Upvoted

My grandpa taught me the same thing when I was helping him build a barbecue pit in his backyard. I was skeptical too but once I tried it I never went back to buttering the wall.

the_elizabeth1mo ago

Oh man, @the_henry totally gets it! Grandpas always have that old school wisdom that actually works better than the fancy new stuff. Once you try the real deal you can never go back.

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