Lost a whole wall of brick to a bad batch of mortar last month

I was working on a garden wall for a client in Oakdale back in October. So I mixed up a new bag of mortar from a brand I always use, and about three days later I noticed the bricks were loose. I could wiggle them with my hand, which should never happen after that long. Took a closer look and the mortar was crumbly, like it never set right. Turns out that batch had too much lime or something, because the bag was from a pallet that got wet in storage. I had to tear down the whole wall and start over, which cost me an extra two days and a lot of sore shoulders. Has anyone else run into a bad mix like that from a trusted brand?

2 comments

2 Comments

rosed325d ago

Did you at LEAST get a free bag of mortar out of the deal?

joseph_murray85d ago

Right, I got 2 bags of the Type N and a trowel out of it. They tried to give me a store credit too but I pushed for cash. The key is to point out the bag was split at the seam, not just torn, that’s a manufacturing defect. Next time take a photo of the busted bag before you touch it, saves you the argument.