# Forum Home Renovation Brickwork  Brick Mortar Colour - Bad Match?

## csdaly

Hello.  We are in the middle of a home extension.  The builder has recently had the bricklayers in to do the brick work on the exterior skin.  The original part of the building has, what I believe to be, sandstone bricks with buff coloured mortar.  The extension has closely matching bricks, but they have used grey mortar.  You can see the difference in the attached photos of one of the joins.  The builder claims he could not find any other option but grey and says the mortar will go lighter as it dries and over time.  Yes, but it will always be grey.  I can't understand why a light-coloured mortar was not used.  Would appreciate any views on 1) is grey the only option for mortar for this type of brick; and 2) what rectification options are there, if there are other colour options?  (Rendering is our least favoured option, given the bricks are nice.)  Thanks very much for any help.

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## csdaly

Editting doesn't seem to work so photos attached.

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## Tools

That is really poor. I would have him rake it out and re-point with the correct colour. You won't get a perfect match but what he has done is not even in the ball park. The other option is to have the mortar recoloured. There is a crowd here in Melbourne that colours bricks and/or mortar so you may have someone similar up your way. 
Tools

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## Tools

The crowd I was thinking of aren't in Canberra but they are in Sydney.  Contact Nawkaw Sydney - brick colour recolouring specialist NSW 
Tools

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## Random Username

That is shockingly bad.  The lightest cement you can get is off-white, when mixed with sand it'll still give you a sandy colour, not grey.  I'm not aware of massive shortages of off-white cement in Canberra, as I saw bags of it in Bunnings this afternoon.  What colour sand was used?   
See also here: Bricks | Choosing a Brick | Mortar Matters

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## phild01

That really is a bad effort.  Whose instruction was the bricklayer working to, because it is hard to believe they would do that by choice.

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## Micky013

My brickies used a cement called brighton light - in sa so not sure if you get that interstate. End result was beach sand colour. Get them to repoint it with the correct colour - thats shockingly bad

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## csdaly

> What colour sand was used?

   Not sure the technical term, but you might describe it as river sand.  Not the cleaner beach sand.  Photo attached - sorry about the quality.

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## David.Elliott

That's not even in the bad match category...is not a match in any way...
Seems like the brickies either 
Thought there there was a render going over all of it....or
Could not give a rats... 
Brickies lite and yellow sand will give you something close, maybe it needs to be white cement and yellow sand, it's hard to tell from the pics and I'm no brickie 
But what you have there is a absolute non attempt to match, looks a bit like the bagged mortar mix to me...but definitely grey cement used...

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## csdaly

Thanks for all views expressed above.  Confirms my view that the builder and/or bricklayer made NO ATTEMPT to match the colour at all and now the builder is trying to cover himself by claiming no other option was available.  Given his position, we've sent him a written notice that we consider this a dispute under the contract, since the quote (an attachment to the contract) expressly says "match face brickwork" (which I interpret to include the mortar holding the bricks).  The building plan also says similar.  The interior is almost complete so the best time to have a major dispute ... near the end.

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## csdaly

> I would have him rake it out and re-point with the correct colour.

  This was my thought.  How much would you rake out and does anyone have a view on whether the new mortar would hold?  Any risk of chipping the bricks in the process?

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## csdaly

> The other option is to have the mortar recoloured.

  Thanks - saw the Nawkaw site on the weekend.  Not sure I liked the before/after results on the site, but agree anything is better than this total non-match at present.  A pulldown and redo, or raking, seem the better options.

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## csdaly

Does anyone know if there is any difference between the mortar used between clay and sandstone bricks, including the tinting options?  The Boral technical manual for bricks (http://www.boral.com.au/bricks/brick...l_Whole_09.pdf) doesn't seem to make any distinction.

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## csdaly

> Whose instruction was the bricklayer working to, because it is hard to believe they would do that by choice.

  Hard for us to say.  They worked to the builder.  The builder mentioned near the start of the project that the bricklayers were the most difficult contractors to deal with (not sure if that was in general or just the ones he deals with).  The builder says he "wasn't aware of any other option", so he's probably bought the material.  Regardless, the builder takes responsibility for the result.

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## phild01

> Hard for us to say.  They worked to the builder.  The builder mentioned near the start of the project that the bricklayers were the most difficult contractors to deal with (not sure if that was in general or just the ones he deals with).  The builder says he "wasn't aware of any other option", so he's probably bought the material.  Regardless, the builder takes responsibility for the result.

  Yes he is.  I wonder if the builder just simply did the sand cement order and caused the stuff-up.  I'd probably tell him to re-do the work.
Trouble with builders often they fudge the figures to cover their out of pocket mistakes. 
Don't release a final payment before you are happy with the completed work.

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## csdaly

Thought I'd let people know the outcome from a thread last year (http://www.renovateforum.com/f210/br...-match-113185/) and post a picture. Our building consultant agreed the mortar had too much variation. The builder agreed to remedy (only because we had an independent umpire I suspect). He tinted the mortar using Nawkaw.  Builder wanted to use a tint that was more commonly used for roof tiles.  Lucky the consultant was involved.  Attached is the result.  Cheers.  Attachment 110263

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## csdaly

Thought I'd let people know the outcome from a thread last year (http://www.renovateforum.com/f210/br...-match-113185/) and post a picture. Our building consultant agreed the mortar had too much variation. The builder agreed to remedy (only because we had an independent umpire I suspect). He tinted the mortar using Nawkaw.  Builder wanted to use a tint that was more commonly used for roof tiles.  Lucky the consultant was involved.  Attached is the result.  Cheers.  Attachment 110263

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## phild01

Looks good, happy outcome then?

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## csdaly

> Looks good, happy outcome then?

   Yeah, thanks, we're pleased with the result.  The Nawkaw guy said it tints the mortar (rather than just painting over the surface), so should last a very long time.

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## autogenous

Builder has supplied grey cement.  Bricklayers used cement supplied.
Existing mortar used was creme cement.
Unfortunately there is a plethora of variables in matching cement, clinker colour, sand colour and type, mortar ratio and acid ratio used by brick cleaner.
The builder chooses the tradesmen from job to job.  They are not employees.
Tradies have no minimum wage, and contracts, if there is one job to job.
If the builder is not happy, the builder can sack a tradie at a whim.  
Builders are ultimately responsible for the quality.  Thats why builders have supervisors to check work is done correct.
The courts have ruled this in precedent. 
If the builder was not happy, he should sack the tradie there and then.  Bet you he didnt. 
It sounds like the builder was trying to pass the buck this time, hence a change in tact when you employed someone who knew what the was builder was up to.

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