Inclimate and Cold Weather Masonry Construction

1. Always keep materials covered in questionable bad weather. Suggest old plywood, roofing felt, weighted down.
2. Consider shipment on depositable pallets.
3. Cut plastic wrap from sides of brick cubes and discard safely. This allows brick cubes to dry out rather than take on more water from top.
4. Keep bagged goods covered during storage. We provide covers as a means of shipment but this is not insurance for the whole job.
5. Keep mason sand pile covered during construction period. Some masons use a 24 inch diameter by 10 to 20 foot section of culvert pipe that the sand is dumped on, block up the one end and a heater into the culvert pipe as a way to heat sand. That obviously must be coordinated before shipment of sand supply.
6. Heat water, if at all possible, during wintertime construction. Not boil, just warming water is helpful.
7. The use of cure accelerators is widely debated and controversial. Non-chloride accelerators are generally recommended. There has not been any conclusive law or rule that says you can't use the powdered chloride materials. Studies do indicate that the non-chloride products are probably better. The products are not an insurance policy against a wall freezing.