[Racinmason]

Do these grout bags really work? I may need to use one soon, but I wonder if you need to mix it more "soupy" to make it easier to control/squeeze?

I think they work really well. It keeps the brick much cleaner, easier to clean, and faster. Yes, you do need to use the mortar a little wetter, and since it's wetter, I make it a little richer (more mortar) I clean the bag out with water after every 2nd filling, a clean bag makes it slide out better. When It's all flowing good, it's actually a really simple process. Use a trowel tip or a tuck pointer to pack the mortar into the joints.

 

[miamicuse]

I think they work really well. It keeps the brick much cleaner, easier to clean, and faster. Yes, you do need to use the mortar a little wetter, and since it's wetter, I make it a little richer (more mortar) I clean the bag out with water after every 2nd filling, a clean bag makes it slide out better. When It's all flowing good, it's actually a really simple process. Use a trowel tip or a tuck pointer to pack the mortar into the joints.

I have about a dozen old bricks that came loose. Well, started off with two, but when I chiseled out the base mortar, more came loose so I removed more. These are probably quite porous old clay bricks.

I found that when I removed the bricks and the mortar under them, that they were sitting on hollow blocks. I have no idea how the original mason laid the mortar over hollow bricks and the mortar stayed up and didn't fall into the block cells. May be he buttered the bottom of the bricks. In any case I filled the cells with concrete.

I then put down a layer of mortar and put the bricks on top, then used a mallet to tap all the pieces in place to align them horizontally and vertically. The joints are kind of half filled from the base mortar squishing to the sides as I tapped the bricks into place.

Tomorrow I will do the rest of the joints with a grout bag. Never used one before, any tips?

Since this is a step, I am trying to figure out how I would "tool" the joints and not have some fall off the front edge.

I have a 1/4" and a 1/8" narrow pointing tool, but I have two joints that are even narrower than 1/8" because these bricks are old, worn and somewhat irregular.

If I get some mortar on the brick face, is the only way to clean it up later is with acid? I seem to remember some years ago I hired someone to put stucco on an exterior wall and it has a brick walkway and they dropped a ton of stucco and walked everywhere with their shoes packed with stucco, and even after they rinsed everything off, the next day there was a white haze over the entire surface. I think I had to use muric acid or something.

 

[FM3]

If I get some mortar on the brick face, is the only way to clean it up later is with acid?

Water and a sponge should work as long as you don't let the mortar dry. Might even be able to clean it off up to 24 hours later, but I would avoid putting that timeframe to the test.

 

[ClarenceBauer]

I have about a dozen old bricks that came loose. Well, started off with two, but when I chiseled out the base mortar, more came loose so I removed more. These are probably quite porous old clay bricks.

I found that when I removed the bricks and the mortar under them, that they were sitting on hollow blocks. I have no idea how the original mason laid the mortar over hollow bricks and the mortar stayed up and didn't fall into the block cells. May be he buttered the bottom of the bricks. In any case I filled the cells with concrete.

I then put down a layer of mortar and put the bricks on top, then used a mallet to tap all the pieces in place to align them horizontally and vertically. The joints are kind of half filled from the base mortar squishing to the sides as I tapped the bricks into place.

Tomorrow I will do the rest of the joints with a grout bag. Never used one before, any tips?

Since this is a step, I am trying to figure out how I would "tool" the joints and not have some fall off the front edge.

I have a 1/4" and a 1/8" narrow pointing tool, but I have two joints that are even narrower than 1/8" because these bricks are old, worn and somewhat irregular.

If I get some mortar on the brick face, is the only way to clean it up later is with acid? I seem to remember some years ago I hired someone to put stucco on an exterior wall and it has a brick walkway and they dropped a ton of stucco and walked everywhere with their shoes packed with stucco, and even after they rinsed everything off, the next day there was a white haze over the entire surface. I think I had to use muric acid or something.

I have used a Paraffin waterproofing on brick walls before the joints were raked out than repointed when mortar has dried it will release from the Paraffin waterproofing. Never used it on a walk surface.

 

[Racinmason]

You’re doing all the right things on your project.. impressive. Wet the inside of the grout bag before filling, fill it about half way. The motor does have to be slightly more wet than normal, but not runny. The upper part will fold in your hands to create the pressure to shoot it out of the opening. If this is all done right, you can shoot that stuff about 6 feet. On the inside edges of the brick that overhang, put some motor on the tip of your trowel and smear it on the inside of both brick, that will create enough adhesion to keep the motor from rolling out. You can also hold your finger or wedge, a brick under it, to keep it from falling out, if that motor is packed in there enough, it will hold on its own. I’ve never been a fan of wetting the surface of a dirty brick to clean it while there is wet motor next to it. I think any water that gets to the motor can wash away the motor, but leave the sand. After you tool the joints and broom them off well, wait a couple days and give it a very mild acid bath and any of that white residue should come right off. On brick pavers we normally get pretty messy knowing we will have to clean it, but they always come completely clean.

This project look like a mess with motor covering the surface, but they always come clean.

 

[miamicuse]

You’re doing all the right things on your project.. impressive. Wet the inside of the grout bag before filling, fill it about half way. The motor does have to be slightly more wet than normal, but not runny. The upper part will fold in your hands to create the pressure to shoot it out of the opening. If this is all done right, you can shoot that stuff about 6 feet. On the inside edges of the brick that overhang, put some motor on the tip of your trowel and smear it on the inside of both brick, that will create enough adhesion to keep the motor from rolling out. You can also hold your finger or wedge, a brick under it, to keep it from falling out, if that motor is packed in there enough, it will hold on its own. I’ve never been a fan of wetting the surface of a dirty brick to clean it while there is wet motor next to it. I think any water that gets to the motor can wash away the motor, but leave the sand. After you tool the joints and broom them off well, wait a couple days and give it a very mild acid bath and any of that white residue should come right off. On brick pavers we normally get pretty messy knowing we will have to clean it, but they always come completely clean.

well the grout bag didn't work, or may be I bought the wrong bag. I got this:

Grout Bag

I wet the inside of the bag and then added some mortar (I used Type S), and no matter how hard I push the mortar towards the tip nothing came out. I cut a bigger tip same thing. I think it's too hard to flow out like caulk. I added a bit of water into the mix, remixed the mortar and tried again, same problem.

I did notice on the bag it says it's for mortar or grout WITHOUT SAND. So I guess that's the problem? It is for unsanded grout and the mortar mix may be too hard a material to squeeze through a tip like that, or there is a way to do it I am just not skilled or experienced with it yet.

So I ended up using two trowels to kind of dropped the mortar into the joint, then compressed the mortar with the pointing trowel, yes it was quite messy and I had to use a wet sponge to clean up the brick top and front faces afterwards, multiple times, these bricks are difficult because they are worn and old, with cracks, stamps, uneven edges. If I smeared some mortar onto a stamped label I had to use a toothbrush to clean it immediately wipe off.

 

[Racinmason]

Odd about the grout bag. I've never had a problem, used them hundreds of times. I do mix the mortar slightly stronger, but I always use sand. Did you use pre-mix mortar? A lot of that stuff has larger sand aggregate. I've never used pre-mix mortar in a grout bag. I always use mason sand from a gravel plant, and mortar from a masonry supply store.

It looks good though. Many masons still fill those joints with a trowel and tuck pointer. A grout bag it probably 10x faster.

 

[miamicuse]

Odd about the grout bag. I've never had a problem, used them hundreds of times. I do mix the mortar slightly stronger, but I always use sand. Did you use pre-mix mortar? A lot of that stuff has larger sand aggregate. I've never used pre-mix mortar in a grout bag. I always use mason sand from a gravel plant, and mortar from a masonry supply store.

It looks good though. Many masons still fill those joints with a trowel and tuck pointer. A grout bag it probably 10x faster.

Yes I used premixed Sakrete Type S mortar. May be yours have finer sand. Mine was coming out of that tip even when I cut the tip to the size of a penny.

It took longer with trowel and fingers. It was really difficult when all edges are uneven and worn like what I have. I wonder if the guys who did it originally 30 years ago did the joints like how they installed tiles because their mortar is almost flush with the brick face and have no sign of pressing down with a pointing trowel.

 

[ClarenceBauer]

Yes I used premixed Sakrete Type S mortar. May be yours have finer sand. Mine was coming out of that tip even when I cut the tip to the size of a penny.

It took longer with trowel and fingers. It was really difficult when all edges are uneven and worn like what I have. I wonder if the guys who did it originally 30 years ago did the joints like how they installed tiles because their mortar is almost flush with the brick face and have no sign of pressing down with a pointing trowel.

Next time you use a grout bag you can add a Plasticizer.
Adding a little masons will help you squeeze it out easer also you can use a product called Easy Spred.
Also us an NHL-5 ( natural hydraulic lime)