# Forum Home Renovation Brickwork  mortar goes off quickly when laying bricks, how to fix?

## wozzzzza

when ever i try and lay bricks, im finding as soon as the mortar touches the bricks the brick soaks up any moisture and it starts going off quickly allowing me only time ot lay about 5 bricks before i have to clean up the mortar and rake it etc..
what am i doing wrong and how to fix??

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## leeton

You could always wet the bricks...or the mix is wrong...and this might be an old wifes tale...but if you add sugar to the mix it slows down the setting time...and if you get it on your finger you can lick it off cause it will taste better :Biggrin:

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## cherub65

what mix are you using, what type of sand

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## wozzzzza

> what mix are you using, what type of sand

   im just using that mortar mix from bunnings.  heard its crap though, maybe my problem.

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## cherub65

Mix it yourself, 1 cement : 6 brickes sand add bycol (liquid ball bearings)
Mix sand @ cement dry, add water (with bycol mixed)
Mix so peaks just hold, (bit runner than toothpaste)
Should be able to stick to trowel upside down
Mix up small batches till you get the hang of it, Good Luck 
P.S Dont wet bricks

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## an3_bolt

That $@%^$#^$#^ mortar mix from Bunnings - it has to be the biggest bag of crap I have ever used. I would not even use that stuff for land fill!!! 
As they said - mix your own to McDonalds Sundae serve mushiness.... sweet as.... :Biggrin:

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## UteMad

thro some bicol in the mix .. i use bunnies stuff for repairs and thro bicol in the water when mixing and it stays workable for longer.. without like you say it goes off too fast
wetting the bricks will also help  
cheers utemad

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## Compleat Amateu

My 2 cents' worth is that Bunnies mix is OK for small jobs - beats the sh*t out of handmixing when one is laying a dozen bricks or so - and quite a few of my little projects have about that quantity in them.  Can't comment on bigger jobs. 
Bycol is the duck's guts, improves the mix no end. 
Cherub, why not wet the bricks?  I always do, both the clean them (always dirty seconds when 12 at a time!) and to prevent water leaching from the mortar.  What is the downside of wetting?

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## cherub65

Can still hear tech teacher rabbiting on about this!, from memory the ability of bricks to absorb water affects the bond formed between brick and mortar. A tug-of-war occurs between the bricks ability to absorb water and the capacity of the mortar to retain water. If either the brick or the mortar wins, a poor bond will result. 
Wetting of solid bricks is permissible, but caution should be taken , wetting the bricks may lead to efflorescence in the brickwork

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## Blocklayer

The moisture content of bricks must be certified by a fully qualified masonry engineer and be in compliance with all legal standards and requirements <O :Tongue:  The mortar mix must be EXACTLY as specified under Australian Standards. Any illegal additives could weaken the work, leading to massive catastrophic failure causing devastaion on a scale never before seen. <O :Tongue:  Bricklaying is a technically advanced procedure that should only be attempted by qualified professionals  <O :Tongue: And dont spare the cement -   
:

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## GeoffW1

> You could always wet the bricks...or the mix is wrong...and this might be an old wifes tale...but if you add sugar to the mix it slows down the setting time...and if you get it on your finger you can lick it off cause it will taste better

  Hi, 
Sugar does do this, you need only a very small amount. I use a half-handful to a bag of mortar mix. I did some non-structural brick-laying the other day with it and it worked as advertised. 
However it does make the mortar rather difficult to clean off the brickwork later. 
I am a slow bricklayer though, and a good tradesman would probably not need more than Bycol or a little detergent in the mix. 
I would be unwilling to use sugar in structural brickwork I think. 
Cheers

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## wozzzzza

well i got some sand, cement and lime, mixed it all together 1:6:1 and its working fine now, not going off too quickly.  i now have time to rake the joins after each course instead of having to do it after each couple of bricks.
im am still no brickies ass but hey with the aid of this cool jig i made up it has made life a hell of a lot easier to lay bricks straight and even. will post photos of the whole lot later on when finished.

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