Had to rebuild a curved garden wall three times last month

I was putting up a curved brick wall for a patio job in Tacoma, and the radius was tighter than I thought. The first try, I used my normal mortar mix and the bricks just would not stay put on the curve. They kept sliding out before the set could grab. That whole day was wasted. The second try, I added way too much lime to slow the set, but then the mix was too weak and the whole line sagged overnight. Finally, I talked to a guy who does a lot of restoration work. He told me to use a really stiff, almost dry mix and butter each brick heavy on the sides to lock them in. That third try, with the new mix, took me about six hours to get the first course perfect. After that, the rest of the wall went up smooth. What's your go-to mix for a tight radius like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

thompson.finley3d ago

My uncle used to add a little bit of masonry cement to his mix for curves. Said it gave it more grab. Stiff mix is key though, you got that right.

bethjackson3d ago

Used to think that was overkill but tried it last summer on a tricky walkway. Totally changed my mind about needing extra stick.