Rant: Heard a guy at the supply yard say you should always mix mortar by hand

I was picking up a pallet of sand in Cincinnati last week and this older guy was telling a younger apprentice that using a mixer makes you lazy and you lose the feel for the mix. I've been using a 3.5 cubic foot mixer for eight years on everything from chimneys to patios. The idea that a tool makes you worse at your job just doesn't hold up for me, especially when you're mixing 40 bags for a foundation. Has anyone else run into this kind of thinking, or is it just a stubborn old-school thing?

3 comments

3 Comments

mason7981mo ago

Used to agree until my first big pour.

jamieperez1mo ago

Yeah, "first big pour" changes everything. I used to think it was all about the small stuff too. Then you get hit with a real downpour and your whole system just can't keep up. My patio flooded last spring because the drain was way too small. You don't know what you're missing until you see water going where it should not go.

abby_scott2d ago

Did you check your downspout size before the pour?