Last Tuesday was the worst day I've had on a job in 5 years

Everything went wrong on this retaining wall in Medford - the mortar kept drying out in the sun and I had to redo 3 sections by noon because I mixed too much at once. Anyone else have a day where the heat just ruins your whole workflow?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sam23d ago

Ugh, tell me about it. Heat is the absolute worst for anything with mortar or concrete. Once the sun gets going, it's like you're on a timer you can't win. I've seen guys on jobsites just fighting the clock all morning, and it never ends well. Sorry you had to redo all that work, that's the kind of day that makes you want to pack up and go home.

jamieperez9d ago

Oh man, that's brutal. What finally worked for me was adding a little bit of ice water to the mix at the last second, and keeping my sand and bags in the shade as long as I could. @the_sam you're right about that timer, it's no joke. I also started wetting the whole block line down with a hose first thing in the morning, just to cool off the base a bit before laying any mud. It's not a perfect fix but it buys you maybe an extra 10 minutes of workable time before everything starts kicking off. Still a pain but way better than trying to fight it dry.

jade88523d ago

Dude totally. Had a brick job in Grants Pass last summer where my mix was setting up before I even got it on the trowel. Pure nightmare.