Third generation mason here: I commented on your Facebook page yesterday and then this episode came on Pluto TV…what timing! I just want to say that this is not as easy as Mark makes it look. As I’ve said, Mark is a great mason but I’m thinking that his four-minute segment just wasn’t enough to “go into the weeds”. My customers see things like this clip and give me grief because I can’t make the mortar match…perfectly. Keep in mind that Mark did not show the final CURED mortar NEXT to the old existing mortar. Matching is a long process that is based on four main factors 1) mortar color (added pigment), 2) lime and cement color and ratio, 3) sand color, texture and grain as well as ratio to lime and cement and 4) weathering. Also, as you walk around a building, the colors will vary so now matching is multiplied by the number of different shades around the building. As Mark pointed out, a mortar sample can be broken down to help determine these things but there is still a lot of trial and error to get to a point where the new mortar does not stand out. A good mason will always make an attempt and get as close as possible, but the process involved in getting a "close match" can take days and is not economical on small projects. “Mortar matching” makes sense on large restoration projects but you will still see the difference if you look closely.

@briansmith9258

Жыл бұрын

I agree fighting it now. Brutal, looks so easy😂

@johnkoch4755

Жыл бұрын

Exactly

@elleondejuda4681

Жыл бұрын

Amen to that, and we didn’t get any specific measurements of lime , Portland and sand. So how in the world is a guy like me gonna be able to get the idea ?

@BradlyFackrell

Жыл бұрын

@@elleondejuda4681 You would start with standard ratios and then add/subtract each until you get it. If you are matching "old" mortar it's probably a Type-O. Type-O mortar ratios are: 1 part cement, 2 parts lime and 8 to 9 parts sand and follow the recommended color for your specific color brand. Mix that up, let it dry (you can speed it up a bit with a hair dryer) and compare. Now, add/subtract each of those components until you get where you need to be. It's a daunting task! You need to have a pretty good understanding of mortar to even have a chance of getting close. A mason can look at mortar and see the base color or determine if no color was added. That's a valuable starting point. But, to make things even more complicated, some color "back in the day" was simply brushed onto the surface of the mortar. Good luck matching that within reasonable budget constraints! One component that you will probably never be able to match is the sand. "Back in the day" sand was often just harvested from the edge of a farmers field in a near by location. Good luck finding that! I wish that Mark would re-think his ability to match mortar and do a segment that describes the reality.

@JosephTammaro

2 ай бұрын

Great comment and Thank you. I own a brick home built in 1926 and was thinking of replacing the window lintels. I would love to match or come close to matching the mortar color. What do you suggest? Can I get a piece of the mortar examined?

Another good video, learned about how the color changes when it has more portland or lime.

I have had success buying pre-mixed mortar, usually too dark gray, then adding a small amount of white sanded grout.

Thanks for raising the awareness on this topic.

Love the result on this job Hi from Norway you guys !

No need to mention the color of sand that you use, that is only the major determining factor in what the color of mortar is. Great job guys.

Please share more information about the various strengths of different mortar mixes and their compatibility with old buildings. Color really is not the primary concern. What would be most helpful is to know what was used on the typical bungalow 100 years ago. By that I mean the ratio of Portland to lime. Sand is easier to figure out since it’s usually whatever river sand was available locally at the time. Usually it’s a finer graded sand than is common today since the mortar joints were smaller. Thank you for the information though!

thank you for sharing, helpful information !!

I think it seems more like trowel and error...

@eksine

5 жыл бұрын

Reported for harassment

@stevevenn1

2 жыл бұрын

U cracked me up.

@brotherdan3638

2 жыл бұрын

@@eksine get a life

@eksine

2 жыл бұрын

@@brotherdan3638 you replied to a 2 year old comment and it was a joke you idiot

Great info! Thank you

This is VERY incomplete. The colour of your sand is the biggest single factor. This can differ dramatically depending upon where you are located in the country (different quarries have different colours of sand).

@BradlyFackrell

Жыл бұрын

Also, back in the day, (who knows when that was - my dad told me about it) masons would often just find a natural sand pit along the side of the road if they could. Try matching that....

I need to do the repointing for the interior of the 1890s house. It is obvious to me that they have used lime sand mix which is hard to find premade these days (at least in my area). Is it viable to do the repointing with lime-cement mortar in the dry interior?

How bad is it if I re-point mortared one horizontal line on the outside of my stone foundation wall and the top line of stones on my patio with type s mortar? How bad is the risk of cracking stones or other damage? It is old fieldstone. Should I definitely chip it out and remove it? Does the chipping itself risk damaging the wall?

Can fireplace mortar around the pad flagstones be darkened if it came out too light once it dried?

Where can I get some stucco tested to determine mix ration of lime, portland, and sand?

awesome on the pre-mixed; now where does that kit come from?

when you buy the additive dye, a little goes a LONG WAY. So don't add very much at all. I didn't see this "pre-mixed" stuff at the store, but that's cool if it exists.

oooo what can we use in scotland to match new pebbledesh with the older (original) one?

Thanks for the video, guys! We exposed the brick in our 112 year old apartment wall. Both the living room and the bedroom have a mix of pebbles or small stones and what looks like sand the color of, well sand! It's a light beige color with no grey in it (from what I see). How can I make it match in both color and texture? I've been grinding the mortar to make it nice and smooth. Can I use reuse the leftover sand from grinding it, or no?

Mark's cement looks like something after I do after I have my morning coffee.

@JesusJuenger

4 жыл бұрын

Probably time to see a doctor then mate.

Exactly, exactly.

Excellent tutorial. I’m heading down to my local brick 🧱 supplier and getting a pre mixed bag of colored mortar . Thank you

How about do a vid on DIY steam clean brick pointing?

@Santos-ek8md

6 жыл бұрын

Why? You steam clean brick to do just that CLEAN. So that whatever the next treatment you take on the brick will be MINUS any build-up weathering on the outside.

I'm looking good three.

thx

EXACTLY!!!

What type of mortar on a 1925 house? I've been told type N and type O but not sure which would be best

@ThePriceIsRising

7 ай бұрын

Five year old comment, but I would have gone “O”.

What ratio of sand?

Its not a competition Kevin .

One bad thing about using portland to make the mortar darker is that is makes it stronger. You don't want the mortar to be stronger than the brick itself. You want the mortar to crack before the brick does.

@timd9966

3 жыл бұрын

How come?

@jenniegem5338

3 жыл бұрын

@@timd9966 It's easier to tuckpoint than to replace the brick.

@jenniegem5338

3 жыл бұрын

@@timd9966 That is why they make different strengths of mortar. From weakest to strongest: O for historic brick, N for new brick, S for block, M for below grade.

@SheenaRea

8 ай бұрын

@@jenniegem5338 Would a house built in 1948 be considered "historic"? I've heard two different views on this. I'm leaning toward the N mortar mix, probably combining a little more lime into it.

Thanks a bunch. Now how do I match the bricks? Getting a sense that won't be as easy. My Old House is 154 years old with such hard to find parts.

@BradlyFackrell

Жыл бұрын

It can be easier to find bricks the age of your house than it is to find matching bricks for a 40-50 year old building. Keep your eyes open for an old brick building (school, government building etc.) that is being demolished and stop by and ask if you can salvage some of the bricks. Also, there weren't nearly as many brick variations 150 years ago as there have been in recent years.

@WhistlesToAnimals

Жыл бұрын

@@BradlyFackrell Thanks a lot for your time in helping me out with my project.

Not bad

Just take it to a masonry supply place and have them send a sample of the old mortar out to be analyzed. Why guess at it. You will end up with a very good match.

@SheenaRea

8 ай бұрын

I've tried finding such a place in the U.S. with no luck. Do you know who does this?

Just like matching stain when puttying wood

I heard some people don't use any Portland cement. Can you make it without Portland?

I’m not seeing it with the wood.

@BiggMo

6 жыл бұрын

Techmatt167 - wood draws out some of the moisture

@ben-vf

6 жыл бұрын

Just wet the cured mortar .

@BiggMo

6 жыл бұрын

ben jarmin - if its never been sealed I suppose that could work.

But didn't bother telling us what kind and colour of sand?

Hey man , where are the measurements for Lime and portland cement ? We need to know the measurements man didn’t skip that most important thing.

Now show us how to match concrete patching material to hide a crack in flatwork.

Are they colorblind? That is not grey; it is tan.

now days they use dye but old morter was done with diffrent sand colures

@robinturner2300

6 жыл бұрын

MARK FILLERY using dye is a waste of time... It will weather again over time and in any case the sand makes the most impact on colour we have red sand in Devon and it gives a reddish mortar. We pointed the the tiles on our roof using a black mortar dye to get grey and two years later it's faded away.

@markfillery1002

6 жыл бұрын

im a builder and im aware of useing sand from an area for the colour the guy on the vid said use dye we use it to do colured render if you like that sort of thing im not from devon but would think a lot of places have an area colour to the morter on older places as thats whare they would souce the sand from if you lived in outback australia i would think your morter would be quite red but they build with tin sheat

@balderoine

6 жыл бұрын

Colures

@dalkhal

6 жыл бұрын

balderoine lol that’s the first thing i thought

@markfillery1002

6 жыл бұрын

thats what happens when you brake bricks with your head

i think the mortor on the left was clearly a better match

There is no question on mortor color. To sell a house You must re point and You must color match your mortor. If you do not color match old house mortor with new white mortor re pointing looks like crap. Old mortor changes color over time. So pressure wash and re point with the correct color motor that you custom mix. Go to a Brick Yard with some chips of your mortor and color match your house mortor with die from Brick Yard. You do not want to just re point. You must re point with the correct color motor. That means buy a bag of Type N mortor or make Type O mortor and add color to each batch color from the brick yard.

Shouldn't use lime in pointing.

Jeez ....acid wash

Garbage information.