# Mortar Color Problem



## bucky56477 (Jul 21, 2013)

Hi Everyone, I am currently building a house and I believe my mason has used two different colors for the mortar for the foundation and the upper veneer. He has done about 25% of the veneer so far and is telling me that they will blend together when the new gray section fully cures. I really feel like he is putting me off so he does not have to replace what is already built. I cleaned the foundation to assure there was not dirt causing a false color but they look dramatically different to me. The foundation looks tan and the new section looks grey. I like to get some other professional masons opinions. Does anyone else think they will blend together when the new section fully cures? I feel like they just used the wrong color. Attached are pictures, before and after I cleaned the brick. Thanks for your input

.


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## brickhook (May 8, 2012)

If he's telling you he used the same mortar, than I'm sure he's telling you the truth. Sometimes it takes a while for everything to blend. But...from what I'm seeing, when he got the foundation laid...you didn't put any straw or hay down to protect the brick from mud splashing up. Red mud and dirt will stain the mortar around the house, and you won't be able to get the stain out.


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## brickhook (May 8, 2012)

When you wash the foundation, the brick may come clean but the joints will be stained and won't come clean.


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

My initial thought on the color discrepancy is it is quite pronounced and probably will not match when fully cured. There are many reasons for color mismatches. First off if a mortar dye is used retempering of the mortar is a no no. A change in the brand of the Portland cement used will effect a color change,some will cure darker than others. Other major factors are air temperature,humidity,and wetness of mortar at time of tooling the joint. With all that said,a factor overlooked so incredibly often that causes huge problems is rain splash at the base of the wall. In clay soil especially (if that is what you have) the failure to place sand,straw,plastic,felt paper,gravel or some other such material at the base of the wall past the drip line will cause huge and in many cases almost impossible to correct staining of the brick and or mortar joints. Without knowing exactly what transpired on your jobsite the splashing seems a likely candidate. That is just my knee jerk reaction.


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

As the saying goes,great minds think alike.:laughing:



While this one fingered typist was pecking away Brickhook beat me to the punch. Here you have it,two votes on clay mud splash.


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

I do not think the mortar is the same. 

The new stuff is what Iron clad light looks like, the old stuff is what dragon looks like. 

Or he switched sand colors.


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

Do people usually go over their joints after they brush them or what?


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

You can see in one of the pics that the left side was toothed and it clearly is a much greyer mud.


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

JBM; I did not notice it when I first viewed the photos however,look at the first photo posted. There is a huge color difference in the brick as well as the mortar. Look at the toothed corner,both brick and mortar. The brick looks tan also. I'M sticking with my splash idea.


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## heavyc (Jul 2, 2013)

If your landscape plans/design won't ease your mind? Staining the joints is an option the HO or contractor or even your painter can get you nearer your goal. Adding shrubs vs staining, some options you can consider.


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## brickhook (May 8, 2012)

fjn said:


> As the saying goes,great minds think alike.:laughing:
> 
> 
> 
> While this one fingered typist was pecking away Brickhook beat me to the punch. Here you have it,two votes on clay mud splash.


Fred, it would be a heck of a typing race between us.....you typing with one finger and me hunting and pecking ( and asking my wife how to spell every other word) :thumbup: I think you can still beat me! :laughing:


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## S.U.M (Apr 17, 2013)

The bottom colour looks like a light ochar colour the top is standard mortar colour, no colour added at all , I just spent several weeks working out mortar colour based on the colour we can get up here. 
Grinder and dust mask time.


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

That doesn't look like staining to me, it is too consistent. Splash staining usually fades from worse to nothing up the wall.


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## heavyc (Jul 2, 2013)

Staining the joints with a computer color match to the gray will be cheap,quick and permanent. My 02¢.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

How long a difference between the foundation work and the house veneer? If it's more than a couple weeks then i can see it. Mortar gets MUCH lighter in a couple weeks. Also there can be huge differences as someone else said if the joints are tooled at different moisture consistencies or if it rained while one part was done but not the other.

But, it does look like different mortars to me. But I can't say for sure.


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## CJKarl (Nov 21, 2006)

That mortar does look completely different to me. Were the brick laying in the mud before he laid them? Did he think this was below grade or something?


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## brickhook (May 8, 2012)

Look at the first picture....dirt is splashed to the top of the foundation. It looks like it's been layed awhile. The brick layed on top of it looks like it was swept with the joints wet.....once the brick gets stained the joints won't come clean......


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## dakzaag (Jan 6, 2009)

The OP is looking to beat up his mason on this, and I say it is just about impossible to determine from a few fairly close up pics what is going on.

The joints were brushed wet, but a pic on the internet does not accurately give you color distinction. 

Too many variables to determine on the internet. 

If you can't trust your mason, you are basically screwed for life because we are by nature the most direct and straight shooting subset of the construction population that exists.


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## CJKarl (Nov 21, 2006)

I see a weep in that band. IS the dirty brick going to be below grade? 
Btw. Is that a rowlock or soldier? Looks like something in between.


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## CJKarl (Nov 21, 2006)

.....also agree you can't make a final judgment on a couple of internet pics and possibly one side of the story.


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## heavyc (Jul 2, 2013)

More I look at photos I would even guess possible acid burning? What was used to clean brick? What method? No watering/soaking of surface prior to application of acid does some serious damage.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

That's not going to cure out and match anytime soon...sorry

There are tricks up my sleeve which can make it all better, but that's different ingredients or ratio's imo.


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