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?

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3 Comments

thompson.finley6mo 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.

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bethjackson6mo ago

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

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simoncarr4mo ago

My 80 year old neighbor uses TWO walking poles for everything now. Says it takes all the pressure off his knees. He swears by the ones with the little snow baskets on the bottom. Makes a HUGE difference on loose gravel.

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