SHOULD I WET IT FIRST ? (Bricks, Blocks, Stone,) Mike Haduck 

Mike, I have a confession. I was scraping my Mom's porch steps the other day and I made a big deal of it. Then I remembered to do it like a dentist and just scrape off the bad stuff. Makes total sense. Thanks for all the tips, Mike!

This is my new favorite channel! I have watched about ten of your videos in the last two days. thanks!

When I was watching this video,my 11 years old son asked me what I was watching. I said I was watching my master, I learned a lot from him.He said thats good. Thanks again mike

Thanks so much for putting this video together. I've heard you say "wet it or it won't stick" hundreds of times, but NOT wetting it if it's a vertical installation totally went over my head. This is such great info & another Mike tip to add to my DIY knowledge. I've learned so much from you. Keep up the great tutorials!

Old greek masons showed me paint brushes that never touched paint . Wetting ,painting on slurry or cleaning away dust on flat or a joint there's nothing better. Your videos brought back good old lessons learned 👍✌️⚒️

Back in the 1980s, I was the helper for a mason who was in his late 50s early 60s. I don’t remember doing any mason jobs after November or before April. One of the perks of working for a contractor who didn’t depend the income from the business. On jobs doing brick work it was almost always building or rebuilding with used bricks and we would soak all of them for about five minutes before piling them on the scaffold. They would still be damp by the time Nick used them. We used a bit more water in the mortar for brick work, block mortar would be relatively stiff, and stone mortar would be very dry. For flagstone walks and patios we would make a paste of portland cement and water and paint the bottom of the stones before setting them. For setting big flagstones Nick had a log, it might have been a piece of an old telephone pole, with two handles nailed to it. Seems to me that bonding agent smells like good old Elmers glue.

You ask do these videos help. They're a huge help and your presentation is totally enjoyable. So relaxed but so much knowledge. Thank you.

Thank you for this explanation. I bought a 100+ year old house made of bricks a year ago, and have started repairing some cracks and replacing broken bricks in the foundation. Your videos are worth gold! Best wishes from Sweden.

I have never wet a wall down before I plaster but we use our mortar much more wet the you use it when plastering. I love your videos

One of your BEST videos yet! Very easy to understand with the examples.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom and experience. That is a great biblical reference too - sometimes it's hard to know what time it is, but when it comes to masonry at least - we know where to find out!

Mortar used on dry absorbent masonry will have the moisture sucked out very quickly, so the cement does not cure ideally, so the strength and bond will not be as high. But this does not matter because the mortar is still strong enough when dry laid and it certainly should not be stronger than the brick or block themselves. And it is just not convenient or quick to have to moisten large numbers of bricks when building a house for instance, and also the extra cleaning like you said.

This video is absolutely amazing, it is such great info. Thanks Mike

Thanks for all the videos Mike, your a natural teacher. 👍

Another excellent video on explaining the fine details of mortar work for professional results. Thanks.......

Thanks for all your efforts to make these videos- Really have learned a lot- Thanks for spreading the word as well may God continue to Bless you Mr. Mike!

I'm learning so much from your videos. Thank you! I also appreciate your humor and your Bible verses. I'm just a single mom learning to take care of things and your knowledge is giving me courage to try new things. God bless from Western PA.

Mike you are a awesome teacher thanks for showing your skilled craftsmanship.

Tons of information , I actually enjoy doing masonry work now because of your videos, before it was just headache after headache , Thank MIKE!

Mike.,I’m so appreciate that to learn about different type of tools and different type of cement from your videos. It will helps me to do some diy job in my backyard. Thanks again.

I used your old school way of painting the driveway with Portland, it looks brand new!!!! I’m so happy, thank you for sharing all this wonderful information. I’m no longer fearful of cracks in driveways. You rock my world 🦄

I just finished doing some repair work for brick paving steps and I was correct in using the wetting technique for the right application. We went in today and saw one of the bricks loose. He wanted mortar in between the bricks but didn't know about the loose brick. Why tell him when I needed to work on it anyhow. I believe that the brick became loose for 2 reasons: 1) it wasn't too wet because it needed to be at the same height as those besides it, and 2) it had gotten stepped on ages times when passed by a few times to check things in the back. Also, the other bricks weren't firm either and had gotten loose when we tried working mortar into it. I also believe it was affected by the rain that passed not long after it was laid. Thanks for the video Mike.

Very instructional video Mike! Great job! Great explanation!

Mike, I appreciate how you use common sense in masonry. You are a fantastic teacher! Since I started watching your videos I have learned not to make a big deal out of it. Keep it simple and get the job done correctly. Thanks again!

Excellent stuff Mike!

I grew up in a 60's constructed house with brick exterior and cinderblock interior. Now I understand the construction! My parent still live there, and luckily the walls are still fine.

Thanks Mike I learned a lot of good things from you . I did Block work in the late 80s , we used Cement sand Mortar in a mixer , I was lay out man Mixed and set out the blocks for the block layer . I did driveways and floors , But never did repair work . I did the Chimney and new basement windows From watching you , This spring I have to Point my Chimney be finger and palm to get the mortar in the gaps . I had Trouble wetting the rock on the vertical it dry in the sun faster than I could build up the Mortar . But I got my Cricket done no more roof leaks :)

I do learn a lot from you, thank you. I'm a general contractor just over in NJ, small percentage of what I do is masonry, but because of you it is WAY better.

It's like a dance in a way, a master of your craft. I admire that. Informative video. Thank you.

Thanks for another great video Mike. Nothing better than a hands- on demonstration to explain what you mean. We call Portland cement mixed with water slurry. Used to bond tile to a fresh mortar bed. Slurry mixed with 50/50 water and white wood glue is stickier and good for patch & repair work.

Love watching this, especally masonry work.

Thank you Mike.

Excellent teacher

Another great informative video. Thanks for making it Mike

Good video. Very helpful.

great video. thanks Mike

Beautiful Mike 👍

A pleasure, Mike! Thank you.

Very interesting video. Mike you're a good teacher. I knew that about that song too.

Another great, informative video Mike. I’ve used what I learned from you many times. Thank you. Wishing you and family a Happy Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas. Phil from Staten Island.

I love the explanation. Im blocking in old window wells and one i believe to be a coal chute. As my bricks will not be seen by anyone i am leaning towards the wet side. If it allows them to stick better thats all im looking for. I patched one yesterday wet and definitely see what youre talking about. Thanks for the tips man!

Thanks Mike for that detail .

Very informative. Was about to make a mistake on a project

If this video doesn't qualify as an Brick Laying Manual, I really don't know whitch one does. Thank you Sir.

Thank you Mike 🌻

Great video. Very informative.

Good info Mike! Thanks!

Mike great video!

Mike you make my day with these videos! Thanks from south eastern Pennsylvania! North wales to be exact !

Great info as always Mike! 👍

Thanks Mike!

In the hot summer months, we wet all the clay bricks. If not, they dry so fast, you cant keep up with the mortar joints. We never wet cement bricks.

If Mike posted it, it’s valuable and worth remembering. I stumbled upon these videos going on two years ago and the repairs I did for one of my customers is holding up beautifully why? Because I wet it and it stuck like you’d want it to.

You’re the best Mike. Thank you.

Good information 👍

nice explanation

I love rustic red bricks! I'm old, but I'm tackling a brick walkway for my shed and it's super fun!

Thank you Maestro Mike again for sharing your incredible knowledge with us God bless buddy

I wish I could met u in person just so I can have the honor to shake ur hand. Ur knowledge and skill set does not go unnoticed.

Thanks Mike it does help

Really easy to understand the way this ones done.

I agree with you 100 percent. Same shit in Milwaukee,drive around and look at the bridges and you see ALOT of rebar,another great and very accurate vidio, thanks Mike

Love the videos, thanks Mike

This is great info. Thank you!

Mike, you are priceless ❤️

Thanks mike. I like your videos and this is great info for a part time mason like me.

I love watching all of your videos.

Mike Clarke of the Byrds. Favorite song. Mike was the drummer, had a bit of a drinking problem and passed away when he was with Firefall (Strange Way). One of our family's favorite groups back in the day. Turn, Turn, Turn. Great video as always.

another great video

love these videos

I wish I would've seen this a couple weeks ago before I started my first stone wall project. It's a total mess. But, it was my first attempt at stone masonry. It's much harder than I thought to make it pretty, but very satisfying work. I have many more projects in mind. Ain't no big deal.

Mike, you are a one-of-a-kind straight shooter! God gave you your talents and you made the best of them...I sure hope your honorable ways rub off on some of our young people in this country, if not...you're a dying breed!God bless you for your commitment to teaching what you have learned!

Thank you so much. ❤❤❤

Excellent demonstration!! Do a dentist video!! Love the repair work Mike!!

Nice one buddy its all about controlling the suction with plastering for sure , Great video Mike all round 👍👍

I was going to ask you about when to wet and when not but you beat me to it with this video. Thanks a lot Mike. Now it makes sense. By the way, I remember the song Turn, Turn ,Turn, we used to sing it in a folk group I was in at school in 1970. Happy memories!

As usual, keep it simple, i for one love to make it tough... Thnx for The explanation Mike 👍 Will do better once i scrap out what i did before

God bless you and your job.

Love it mike

Hey Mike...thats what she said!!! You are a really good teacher...thanks from a small apiary in Baltimore!!! CHEERS!!!

Maestro. Thank you

You are the BEST

Thanks Mike! I've been wetting my refractory bricks, mainly because its been 120 degrees over the summer here in Spain. My hearth bricks are all being laid dry, with no mortar. It's a learning curve!

Nice video

Over here in England they have been building cavity walls since at least 1870. I have worked on them. Two skins hand made brick with the old fish tail ties in between.

Nice

Turn, Turn, Turn - written by Pete Seeger and recorded in 1959. The lyrics consist of the first eight verses of the third chapter of the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes.

Next silly question, when do you decide to use your portland cement paint and when not too? I've starting using it and it works amazing.

great

I have often wondered why sometimes you wet stuff...and others not. Now i know...thanks Mike, peace to ya.

I have to admit Mike I didn’t wet it before I stuck it. In a boom lift on a hill on a Police department over a vent shaft elevated slab 8x15. Poured it and had a couple stingy gaps that didn’t get vibrated out well. I just grabbed some leftover grout from the metal stair pour going on inside and gave her one. Hopefully the brick covers it and there’s no problem.

Excellent tutorial Mike, can you talk about “Lime Putty”. I heard they would mix clay, lime putty and sand to make mortar for stone foundations. What is lime putty?

Good video Mike. I learned something today. Thanks.

Mike much love from boston last brick job i did was a chimmy before that was stick on brick have you ever done stick on brick with the cocking and tuck pointing

Please do more videos .

Dry to build. Wet to fix. Thanks :)

Hi Mike great videos!☺ What would be our opion on plaster sticking flagstone on brick veneer? Love to here your comments and or a video. Thanks

Can you do more stone veneer?? Especially drystack stone veneer

Greetings it all depends on the climate that you are in if it is a very hot climate then you would wet the brick/block to slow down the suction of the block of obsorbing the water out from the mota

I have a question about different kinds of "bonds" like Flemish bond, etc. With those kinds of brick walls, a certain number of bricks are placed perpindicular to the rest (that's what I think at least), so that results in a wall that's 2 brick widths thick. So if you have a "normal" brick wall like the one you showed in this video, does that mean the wall is just one brick thick?