Heads up on that new 'fast set' mortar mix

Had a big garden wall job in Springfield last month and the supplier was out of my usual Type N. They pushed this new 'fast set' blend, said it would cut my time in half. I had to choose between waiting a week for my normal stuff or trying it. Went with the fast set to keep the job moving. Big mistake, it started going off in the mixer after like 20 minutes in the sun, wasted two full bags. Had to stop and scrub everything. Anyone else run into this with the quick mixes in hot weather?

3 comments

3 Comments

aaronlee3mo agoMost Upvoted

Learned that lesson the hard way with a patio that set up faster than my morning coffee.

felix_lane83mo ago

My uncle lost half a driveway pour to that same fast set gimmick last summer. It's like @aaronlee said, it just races past workable. The whole world feels like it's selling us a shortcut that just ends up costing more time and money. They push these products for speed but never mention you need perfect cool conditions to even have a chance.

benb211mo ago

And the thing is, once it starts getting hot out, that window shrinks so fast you barely have time to react. You end up working twice as hard trying to beat it, which just makes the whole job more stressful than it needed to be. I'd rather have a product that takes a little longer but gives me room to breathe instead of this constant race against the sun.