I found a way to keep my mortar workable in the heat that actually worked

Had a big patio job last July in Tucson, and by 10 AM my mix was setting up like concrete in the bucket. I was adding water and ruining the ratio. On the third day, I tried putting a couple frozen water bottles right in the mortar tub, not just next to it. Kept the batch cool and plastic for almost two extra hours in that 105 degree sun. Has anyone else tried something like this, or have a better trick for hot weather mixing?

2 comments

2 Comments

tessa3945d ago

Oh man, that is such a smart fix. I mean, dealing with that kind of heat sounds like a total nightmare, so getting a couple extra hours of work time must have felt like a miracle. I've never mixed mortar, but I've had concrete set up way too fast on a hot day and it just ruins everything.

olivers285d ago

Last summer in Phoenix we hit 112 degrees and our grout started drying in like 20 minutes. We started soaking the bricks in ice water before laying them, which was a huge pain but bought us maybe 45 extra minutes. Even then we had to work in tiny batches and keep everything covered with wet burlap. That heat just sucks the life out of any mix.