Making Hacienda: Hacienda Update: It's not Palmolive

Dishpan hands got you down? Try having mortar hand!

I can tell you that after a few nights working with this nasty mortar, my hand has begun peeling - my palm, the sides of my fingers. Ugh! How can bricklayers work with this stuff DAILY? Mummification had begun, my fingers literally couldn't stretch out because the mortar had sucked out their life-essence. Now, after constant moisturizing, I'm peeling, similar to a sunburn...just more dried out.

What's so bad about brick mason's mortar? Well, it evidently contains lime and other irritating stuff. Which brings up a funny story...
I thought it contained lye, a highly corrosive alkaline. I dated a guy who boasted that if he needed to make a "hit" for a close devotee (there was my FIRST clue he wasn't prince charming), he knew he'd take the body to the Utah desert, dig a shallow grave, and add a 50 lb blanket of lye. In a few months, there would be no evidence of his dirty deed. (Jealous you didn't date him too, I know. I know.)

So there I am, working bare-handed with this mortar, when my husband tells me it contains lime. I think he means lye, and I freak out that my right hand will begin to mummify or decompose while my left hand will stay young and supple long after the tissue on my right hand is gone.

The horror!!

So I researched mortar a little: "Cement is caustic (a corrosive alkaline) and prolonged contact with wet cement will cause skin irritation and burns. Cement contains hexavalent chromium, which causes allergic dermatitis. Other masonry materials are abrasive and irritating to the skin, and increase the likelihood of developing an allergy."

Whew! So my hand is only just irritated. Fine. I can deal with irritation while I take in the rewarding results. And now YOU can take in the results without any skin irritation. See below.

We built the mantle out of solid wood, routered the edge, trimmed it out, and then applied stonework around it and the fireplace. All that's left to do is paint the mantle, remove the protective paper, strike a match, and we're rockin' around the fireplace!