Hot take: I thought those laser cut brick ties were just a gimmick

My supplier kept pushing them for a big apartment job in Tacoma last fall, saying they'd save us a day on the project. I figured they'd be flimsy and snap. We used them on one wall as a test, and honestly, the fit was perfect every single time, no bending or cutting. It probably shaved a solid 8 hours off our schedule because we weren't fighting with the old twisted wire ones. I'm still a bit salty about being wrong, but I'm sold. Anyone else switch over and notice a real time save, or was I just lucky?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_anna3mo ago

Did you run into any problems with the mortar not sticking to them as well? I heard someone say the smooth surface can be an issue, but maybe that's just a rumor.

noahchen3mo ago

I read that same thing about the smooth surface, but a guy on my crew said the mortar grabs just fine.

amy85827d ago

My neighbor put those blocks on his retaining wall last spring and the mortar is already cracking in a few spots. I watched him scrub and rinse every single block before he started, and it still didn't hold as well as the rough ones I used on my project. If they were really fine for bonding, you wouldn't see so many contractors warning people about it online.