An old-timer told me I was buttering my bricks all wrong, and I'm still not sure he was right

I've been laying brick for about 5 years now, self-taught mostly. Last month I was on a job in Lancaster and this retired mason named Frank watched me work for maybe 10 minutes before he spoke up. He said I was putting too much mortar on the head joints and not enough on the bed joints, making my walls weaker. I tried his way on the next section and it did feel more solid, but it also slowed me down by a good 20 percent. Has anyone else had an experienced bricklayer tell you to completely change your technique, and did you stick with it or go back to how you learned?

2 comments

2 Comments

thompson.robin1mo ago

Frank ever mention a name for his buttering method?

richardknight1mo ago

Man, I feel for you asking that. It's such a simple question but I bet nobody's got a straight answer for it. I've looked through old posts and videos trying to find if Frank ever gave that buttering method a proper name. The closest I ever heard was him calling it "just the way I do it" in one offhand comment. It's frustrating because that technique is so specific and works so well, you'd think he'd have named it. I honestly wish someone had pinned him down on it back when he was still active in the forums.