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Hello,
Wall at the side of the patio needs repointing. I've tried getting a matching mortar mix or a dye to add into the mortar mix but have had no luck. As the area is a big, the Mortafil tubes may not be the best option. Please suggest what I could do to fix this wall.
Thanks in advance!
Regards,
Athena
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @athena90. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about matching mortar.
It depends on how closely you need the new mortar to match the old. If this was a tradesperson, they'd likely try and do an approximate match but would go with what's available, likely a straight mortar and no colour. The mortar on the bricks on the house is probably straight mortar and perhaps a little sandstone oxide, as it's a little more cream-coloured than the grey mortar.
Having a closer look at your wall, I'm not entirely sure whether it needs to be repointing. The pointing appears to be still intact, just set a little deep. However, these deep joints have a great deal of moss buildup. If you used a high-pressure sprayer and blasted that moss and grime out of the joints, I think you'll find the pointing is fine; they just need a clean.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
Thank you for checking and advising Mitchell.
Yes, a lot of moss and is quite deep. I will pressure wash it this evening and see if there is any mortar left.
If I need to repoint then whats the mixture ratio of sandstone oxide to mortar?
Have this mortar mix at the moment (https://www.bunnings.com.au/dingo-10kg-mortar-mix_p0760516), will this work.
Thank you!
Regards,
Athena
Hi @athena90,
The mixture depends on the colour you want. The more the oxide pigment you add, the more the grey mortar will reflect a sandstone colour. You might mix up a bucket of mortar and then add a couple of tablespoons of oxide. Keep adding oxide until you reach your desired colour. It's best to start with a little bit and add increments. Once you add too much, you can't go back.
I'm almost 100% sure that the mortar lines need a good blast out and not redoing.
Please keep us updated.
Mitchell
Hi Mitchell,
Pressure wash done. Is a mix of mortar and gaps
Regards,
Athena
Thanks for that update, @athena90.
@MitchellMc is currently away on a well-deserved break but our other resident Bunnings D.I.Y. expert @EricL will be online later today and will be happy to provide further advice on how to repair your wall.
Thanks for your patience in the meantime.
Akanksha
Hello @athena90
Thank you for posting those additional pictures of your brick wall. Now that you've pressure washed it, it appears that it does need to be repointed. I still suggest following @MitchellMc's recommendation and that is to add oxide to your mortar mix to get the colour you are after. Unfortunately, there is no precise method for this as colour matching is pretty much done visually. I suggest using a measuring spoon so that you can slowly move up to the colour that you are after.
If you accidentally add too much oxide you can dilute it by adding more mortar, but it will not reduce the colour brightness, so please proceed with caution. The Dingo 10kg Mortar Mix will work just fine. I also suggest looking at brick pointing tools in order to get a uniform finish.
If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.
Eric
Thank you for the advice Eric
Hope to do it in the Xmas break.
Regards,
Athena
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