How to match a beige mortar colour?

[SamKaz]

Hi,

I need to do a bit of a mortar pointing at my home. The question I have is when I was looking to by a mortar at bunnings all the mortar bags I found were gray in color, to match the colour with other mortar in the wall it has to be beige in colour. Can someone please guide me who do I go about getting a beige colour mortar? 

Thanks, 

Sam

[Akanksha]

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, @SamKaz. We're delighted to have you join us and look forward to seeing and assisting you with your home improvement and garden projects.

Thanks for your question. I'm sure our resident D.I.Y. Bunnings expert @EricL will be happy to assist as soon as possible. Let me also tag our ever-helpful members @Jewelleryrescue, @Marty_greenshed and @Tyro for their thoughts.

While waiting, you may like to check out this previous discussion Sand colour mortar mix by @Gofinn in case it helps.

Akanksha

[Marty_greenshed]

@SamKaz 

How much do you need?  If only a small amount you can use this Mortafil 450g Cream Mortar.

Or buy white mortar and mix with yellow sand might be an option to get the beige

[Tyro]

Hi @SamKaz 

Can it be coloured? Either with a watered down timber stain, water-based paint or a stain of used coffee grounds in water.  Another option would be to scrape off some of the existing mortar and see if the clever people in the Bunnings Paint shop can colour match it. Then get  a sample pot, and play with watering it down.

But ALWAYS try on an area that will get covered by a plant or the wheelie bin! 😁

Good luck 🤗

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @SamKaz

Basically  your  right standard cement is grey in colour and is used mostly as it is cheaper than Off white  cement.  I wouldnt really call your cement mortar beige.

Your wall looks like standard off white cement mixed  with white brickies  sand  that will give you the closest matching mortar mix to repair your wall.

As @Marty_greenshed  indicates there are polymer compounds that will fill  mortar gaps  using a caulking gun maybe easier for you. Look for an  off white color discription to match  your wall photo.

Slight variations in color wont be hugely noticable.

Cement solution 

So you  need Off white cement as a base then its the sand colour that will match your mortar color .( MAKE SURE  ITs white BRICKIE sand ) not some thing like beach sand as that makes for poor cement and mortar.  Generally at the garden centres  ask for white brickies sand typically that sand is of a standard color tone range. They sell stuff in small bag quantities possibly suitable for your application.

Bunnings has sand in a bag  and it  has pre mixed sand and cement bags. These are prefect but I cant determine if they have a white cement and sand version that you need.

Mix your cement and  sand  1:4    to 1:5 ratio to a tooth paste consistancy trowel it in or use a gloved hand to fill the mortar gaps.

let the mortar set for 1 to 2 hours then use a dust pan brush  and a bucket of clean water and wash/ brush any excess mortar  and mess  spills off the wall and ground.  Taking care  not to dig out fresh mortar. Use a sponge  for final wall individual brick face clean this will save you  an acid wash later.

Hope this helps.

[EricL]

Hello @SamKaz 

Thank you for sharing your question about mortar colour. It's great that you've received excellent advice from our members. I'm in agreement with @Jewelleryrescue regarding the colour of your mortar. What you're actually seeing is the bleached-out colour of the original grey mortar. Having been exposed to the sun and rain has washed out the original grey colour of the mortar and now has left you with a bright light grey colour.   

If you wish to lighten up the colour of the dark grey mortar, I suggest mixing it with Dulux Avista Oxide 1kg White Cement Colouring, this will lighten the grey colour but not turn it into the bleached colour of the old mortar. Just be aware that when the new mortar gets bleached by the weather the mortar with the oxide will appear much brighter than the old mortar.

Please remember to wear personal protection such as gloves, goggles and a mask when working on your project.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric