Vent: Old timer told me to stop buttering my bricks and I laughed at him

About 8 years ago I was working a job in Tulsa with a guy who'd been laying brick since the 70s. He saw me putting a thick layer of mortar on every single brick before setting it and told me I was wasting time and material. I laughed it off because I thought he was just old fashioned and slow. Then after three days of watching me struggle to keep a consistent line he finally pulled me aside and showed me his method. He just dabbed the corners and let the trowel do the work. I tried it on the next wall and cut my time by almost a third. Now I see new guys doing the same thing I used to do and I want to tell them but nobody listens to advice from a stranger. Has anyone else had a seasoned bricklayer call them out on a bad habit?

2 comments

2 Comments

kim_nelson25d ago

Man, that story hits close to home. I had a similar thing happen with a concrete guy who told me to stop watering down my mix so much. Felt like a fool after I tried his way and it actually worked. It's funny how the old timers have these little tricks that seem backward but save your back and your time. I bet that bricklayer saved you hours of frustration too. Really makes you think about how much we miss when we're too stubborn to listen.

lee73325d ago

Is it really that deep though? I mean, sure the guy had a trick, but a lot of old timer advice is just outdated stubbornness dressed up as wisdom, @kim_nelson.

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