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Warning: don't trust the mix by eye on a cold morning, cost me 40 bricks last Tuesday
So last Tuesday I was laying a garden wall out in Roseville and it was about 38 degrees when I started. I mixed my mortar like I always do, same sand, same water jug count, and the first 15 bricks went down fine. Around brick 20 I noticed the bed was grabbing way too fast, like it was setting up in the tub before I could even tap them level. I pulled a few and the bond was garbage, so I knocked off the whole run and 40 bricks ended up in the scrap pile. Turns out the cold sand was holding moisture and I added my normal water on top of it, so my mix was way wetter than it looked. Now I check the squeeze with my trowel before I commit a whole course. Anyone else run into sand holding water this time of year, and do you adjust your jug count or just feel it out?
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haydenburns1mo ago
How much water does that sand actually hold when it's been sitting out in the cold? I keep my sand under a tarp but it still pulls damp from the ground this time of year, and I've never been able to pin down a number. Do you go by the squeeze test alone, or have you ever weighed a bucket of wet sand against a dry one to see the gap? Trying to figure out if there's a rule of thumb or if you just learn it by feel over the years.
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