Mortar Colour

[paulyd]

Hi,
laying a grey brick wall in the garden and wanted to match-ish the mortar. Using standard building sand and OPC tends to result in a dark brown mortar. Can anyone advise of formula for getting a shade of Grey...would be happy with cement colour! only doing about 1.5sqm. failing that a light beige colour would be better than brown!
Any help appreciated.
Thanks

 

[merlin50]

grey sand

 

[paulyd]

Thanks for quick reply, have asked a few merchants and stores around if there is such a thing and they all looked vague! Do you know best place to pick it up?
thanks

 

[jeds]

Coloured sand is the best option but next best is to use the lightest sand you can find and tint with a colour additive.

 

[paulyd]

Thanks. Only dies I can find are black red and yellow which would not appear to be the solution.......the building sands in this neck of the woods are all a deep red.....

 

[^woody^]

Black dye will produce grey mortar. You just don't throw the whole tub in.

If you can source some lighter sand to mix with the red - yellow (playpit sand) or a lighter sharp sand - then mix that with the red then that will dry a shade of grey

But in your case, dye would be simplest

 

[Nige F]

Thanks for quick reply, have asked a few merchants and stores around if there is such a thing and they all looked vague! Do you know best place to pick it up?
thanks

Isle of Wight

 

[stuart45]

Even if you want it black and put loads of dye in, it goes grey over time.

 

[hammerswinger]

Hi,
The standard building sand we have here is Yellow, mixed 5:1 with OPC ( Blue Circle Cement from Wickes) and that is a grey color.

If you made a more cement rich mortar (4:1 or 3:1) it would be a darker grey.

Different cements will change the color of the mortar, Mastercrete for example is a very light colour cement, so used at the same ratio will produce a much lighter mortar.


Yellow sand mixed 5:1 with OPC.

HTH.

 

[merlin50]

have you tried b&q ours stock red and grey