hi gary, i forgot to mention the size of the piece, in case that has some bearing in the situation....28" x 57" and the ribs in the mesh were 5/8" deep.....
also, i have another batch of mortar i mixed up yesterday, thinking i could do the top coat today but due to what happened of course i couldn't use it.....is it a problem to have mortar mixed up and then not use it for a while?
thanks so much again for any help and advice you can lend
karla