I'm doing some blocks to do a block wall, and some bricks. The components
of Portland, sand, lime, etc, I'm sure are cheaper in toto than bags of the
mortar mix. However, one has to buy quantities of the loose ingredients,
then take the care to keep them dry, separated, off the ground, etc.

Is it that much better to mix your own, or just go buy the bags, and be done
with it, and so much easier?

Steve

visit my blog at http://cabgbypasssurgery.com

On Aug 10, 9:25*am, "Steve B" wrote:
I'm doing some blocks to do a block wall, and some bricks. *The components
of Portland, sand, lime, etc, I'm sure are cheaper in toto than bags of the
mortar mix. *However, one has to buy quantities of the loose ingredients,
then take the care to keep them dry, separated, off the ground, etc.

Is it that much better to mix your own, or just go buy the bags, and be done
with it, and so much easier?

Steve

visit my blog athttp://cabgbypasssurgery.com

No way can you measure mixes as accurately as the folks at the bagging
plant. If you're talking several cubic yards of mix daily with scales
and other specialized equipment, do your own. Otherwise, prepackaged
is better like many other products.

Joe
Joe

I think the bags of premix are rated 4000 psi.

For a yard or more, you may want to compare the rental price of a
mixer against your labor/time, as to using a shovel/hoe to mix a wheel
barrow at a time.

Sonny

wrote in message
...
On Tue, 10 Aug 2010 07:25:12 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:

I'm doing some blocks to do a block wall, and some bricks. The components
of Portland, sand, lime, etc, I'm sure are cheaper in toto than bags of
the
mortar mix. However, one has to buy quantities of the loose ingredients,
then take the care to keep them dry, separated, off the ground, etc.

Is it that much better to mix your own, or just go buy the bags, and be
done
with it, and so much easier?

Steve

visit my blog at http://cabgbypasssurgery.com



If you are not mixing a yard or more it is cheaper and easier to use
bagged mortar mix with sand in it.
The pros still use a bag mix on big jobs but the kind without the sand
and they get sand dropped loose. It doesn't hurt the sand to get wet
but adjust the water you add accordingly.
I have never seen anyone actually get the portland and lime. Usually
mortar mix will have some "secret ingredient" and the guys do usually
have a brand they prefer although the secret may be that it is all the
same. ;-)

Years ago we used to mix out own mortar, 3 pails of sand, one pail of
Portland cement and 1/2 pail of Sealbond, and additive that was available
then. It made a very strong mortar and one that was very sticky so that it
stuck well on the ends of the blocks without falling off before you got it
in place.

It sounds as if this may be whole new undertaking for you. You
don't need to use any mortar. Look at SureWall, actually quite an
effective approach. I would still rebar and slush the vertical
cells and trough blocks.

Sorry, SureWall is apparently an old name for the material.
Quickrete has a version he
http://www.quikrete.com/ProductLines...dingCement.asp

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DanG
Keep the whole world singing . . .


"Steve B" wrote in message
...
I'm doing some blocks to do a block wall, and some bricks. The
components of Portland, sand, lime, etc, I'm sure are cheaper in
toto than bags of the mortar mix. However, one has to buy
quantities of the loose ingredients, then take the care to keep
them dry, separated, off the ground, etc.

Is it that much better to mix your own, or just go buy the bags,
and be done with it, and so much easier?

Steve

visit my blog at http://cabgbypasssurgery.com