Talked to a guy on a job in Omaha about his mortar mix

He said he adds a cup of dish soap to every five gallons of his mix. I thought he was nuts, but he swore it makes the mortar stick better and work smoother. He said he's been doing it for 15 years on all his brickwork. I tried it on a small garden wall last week and honestly, the stuff was way easier to spread. Has anyone else heard of this trick, or is it just an old local thing?

4 comments

4 Comments

claire_craig322mo ago

My grandpa used to add a little bit of motor oil to his plaster mix. He said it kept it from drying out too fast in the sun. Always wondered if that was genius or just a weird habit.

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ward.tara2mo ago

Whoa, that sounds risky. Motor oil can stop the plaster from bonding right, so it might crack or peel later. My uncle tried something similar with linseed oil and it ruined a whole wall. Sometimes the old tricks are just old, not good.

julias442mo ago

Grandpa knew what he was doing. People used all kinds of things to make materials work better for their specific job. A tiny bit of oil in a big mix probably just changed the dry time enough to help on a hot day. It's not like he was dumping in a whole quart. Those old tricks came from solving real problems with what they had on hand. Why dismiss it without trying it yourself?

ruby_bell4717d ago

Had a buddy who tried this on a hot garage wall he was plastering last summer. He added just a splash of old 10W-30 to his mix, swear by it, said the plaster stayed workable an extra 15 minutes in the sun and didn't crack a bit. @claire_craig32 your grandpa might've been onto something if he used it sparingly like that, but I've also heard of guys going overboard and ending up with a greasy mess that won't hold paint. Ever notice any weird smell or discoloration on his finished walls?