Tried wetting my bricks before laying in a heat wave, and the mortar set up on me

Wendy Scott · 2026-10-10T10:35:03.807234+00:00

I was laying a garden wall in Phoenix back in July and the mortar kept drying out before I could even tap the bricks level. A guy on the crew said to dunk each brick in a bucket of water first, so I did that for a whole course. By the time I got to the third brick the mortar was stiff as peanut butter and I had to chip it all out. Turns out in 110 degree heat you only want the bricks damp, not soaking, or they suck the water right out of the mix. Anyone got a real rule for how wet is too wet when it's this hot out?

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Tried wetting my bricks before laying in a heat wave, and the mortar set up on me | Bricklayers - HW Forums