On Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:20:25 -0400, hk wrote:

Richard Casady wrote:
On Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:37:30 -0400, hk wrote:

Perhaps the wall was built by non-union masons and the
mortar is mostly sand.

Mortar is supposed to be three quarters sand.

Casady


Kinda depends on the mortar and its use. Typical 3/1/12 "M" mortar is
indeed 3/4's sand, but that doesn't mean it is "mostly sand," because
"mostly sand" won't work as mortar. You need the other ingredients for a
real bond...portland cement and lime and depending on the weather and
strength, sometimes other incredients. And let's not forget the water, eh?

However, beginning apprentices build short walls out of brick and only
sand and water as their mortar, because the brick and the sand are
knocked over and used over and over.

Unskilled, poorly trained non-union masons are known to put too much
sand in their mortar mixes in order to save more money for the
contractor. I've also seen them build veneers walls 12' tall without the
use of brick ties and without putting in weep holes.

The mix has to done right. Too much portland and you get cracking.
A nice mix should weather evenly - soft enough not to crack and hard
enough not to weather out too fast. The coloring can be expensive.
I started to tuckpoint my 2-flat in the city - this is 25 years ago.
And I started, and I started and I started.
Had my own ladders, and got ladder jacks and 20' plank from my
brother, who was a house painter I worked with on a few occasions.
This was sides-of-the-house rough brick. Maybe 40' x 20' less
windows. It was bad enough 4 or 5 bricks were already shot.
Left the front, which was beautiful face brick, for last, figuring I'd
be good by then.
No problem with the mix and coloration - a chocolate tone.
No problem with applying the raised bead I preferred, though I was
slow.
The problem was facing that brick wall for more than 1/2 hour.
Drove me absolutely crazy, and after about a week of daily 1/2 hour
attempts I figured it would take me 11 years to do at the rate I was
going, so I packed up my gear and got a crew to do it.
Took 4 guys a couple days to do all 4 walls and they did a real nice
job. Poles my Polish wife found real quick.
Just about everything in Poland is masonry and there's a lot of
skilled masons from there. Plenty of unskilled ones over there too,
judging from some pictures my wife just brought home.
When I moved into this house the rough brick joints on 2 sides were
worn bad with a couple bricks almost needing replacement. Face brick
joints aren't too bad.
I showed my kid how to mix mortar and point, offered him 500 bucks to
do the 2 rough sides and he did it in about 2 weeks during his summer
vacation.
I'd do a rub test to check once in a while to see that his mix was
good, and point out if he missed a spot.
Think we used a mortar mix and sand instead of separate lime and
portland.
He was 13.
He did a good job, but the cable or phone guys always ask me who did
my tuckpointing when they see all the mortar he got on their boxes.
Just cosmetics. I still have to get on the roof and point the chimney
because he was afraid to go up there - or so he claimed.
I'll hire a pro for the face brick sides soon, which is the only way
I'd go with that.

--Vic