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Bricklaying & Repointing

Mortar colour when building with london stock bricks

Anonymous user 28/02/2024 - 2.35 PM

I'm building a pizza oven the back yard and want to get a mortar colour to match the bricks I'm using (and the house). Can anyone advise how you get a buff coloured mortar like all the houses round here seem to be? I doubt it's dye as they were built in 1800! I've read a few things about snowcrete, more sand or using lime but nobody seems to have a decent answer. Any builders made extensions in the local area and care to tell me how they did it? Many thanks! George

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3 Answers

Anonymous user

I would say, try a sample first of yellow builders sand with white cement, snowcrete and lime. A lot will depend on the sand and ratios mixed at, best to try a few samples and see what it drys out like, then adapt to suit. Failing that you can get a lime mortar colour matched by the suppliers, ie Trad-Lime.

Answered9 July 2011

Anonymous user

you need to gauge the mortar precisly .the gauge is 6 shovels of soft sand 1shovel of lime and 1of cement.the shovel needs to be full up with the same amounts of each ingrededient.

Answered15 July 2011

ABM plastering

Rating: 5 out of 5

Diss

If it was built in the 1800's it will be lime mortar and not cement....you need some lime putty, hydraulic lime (not hydrated) and a mix of sharp and soft sand...it will tell you the mix ratios on the back of the lime bag...3-1 if I remember correctly, I always add a trowel full of lime putty to plasticise it. Make sure you wear protective clothing and especially eye protection....especially with the lime putty!!,if you were to put your foot in a tub overnight by the morning all that will remain will be bone..be warned.

Answered22 July 2011