I am currently working on my eagle scout project, and I will be using mortar to put together part of my project (I know this doesn't completely apply to home improvement so if this is the wrong place I'm sorry!). I want to make sure that nobody gets hurt, so I bought work gloves for everybody. They also had gloves meant specifically for working with mortar. Is using normal work gloves fine for mixing mortar, and using it to build a fire pit, or should we use gloves meant for masonry specifically?
What kinds of gloves should be used for working with mortar
masonrymortarsafety
Best Answer
Considering how little exposure you will get to the mortar for your small project, you're probably fine with just your work gloves. Wearing latex gloves under your work gloves will provide additional protection. I would suggest that for the people who will be working directly with the mortar.
Big picture, more important than gloves is breathing protection. Inhaling dry mortar powder can be very dangerous, even in small quantities. Different people have different reactions: while one person could spend years breathing the stuff and never have any problems, another could experience severe respiratory distress on their first exposure. Whoever is opening bags and mixing should be wearing a respirator. The disposable kind is fine, if rated for mortar exposure.