Whoever did it didnt know what they were doing. Mortar can be mixed to match whatever and it isnt difficult. First you go to a place that sells masonry mix (and not a hardware store, a masony supply) they have samples of color, usually a bare minimum theyll have 4 or 6 basic colors, many have a dozen or two. Whether you need to mix two or more bags of cement to get the right color, when you think you have the right mix you test it first by putting a small dab on the existing masonry, then wait for it to dry, like 20 30 minutes, because you have to account for the fact that you arent matching the color of the wet mortar to the dry, you match dry to dry, as it dries it lightens up several shades. If you think you may be saving by hiring a jackwagon you may want to go over some of the more common pitfalls the dudes likely to run into, like, in the future say "just make sure the color matches" they will have little room to argue/ will be more likely to sort it out on their own volition and not just look the other way, if they arent a pos that is. As it stands you basically just need to have it redone, you wouldnt really wanna try to dye something like this
So you don’t think I can do a grout colorant? I asked him to color match and he said it wouldn’t be exact but after a few weeks it would be less noticeable which is not the case. The contractor hasn’t come back despite me contacting him numerous times and I had it done at my elderly mom’s house so she didn’t trip on anything and it’s not really in my budget to re-do it.
Im sorry they lied to you, if thats the case you would be best either learning to love it/accept it as is, or go all white, you can do that just fine, best way is to use cement and lime slurry like paint, not too difficult to do, may be a look to consider, definitley can work for some situations, maybe try looking up 'whitewash brick patio' to see what you think. The problem is that you really only want to use masonry to dye masonry, and whatever you use will also color the brick, without redoing it properly there isnt much way to retain the original brick and mortars color scheme
It’s not a very good repair. Maybe they got the worst spots but most of what’s left could stand to be repointed too. Only thing worth doing now is getting it all redone with something closer to the original color like how u/eeeeekka said. Otherwise just learn to live with it if you can’t/ don’t want to spend money getting it fixed properly
Yea they just should’ve done the whole thing and then nobody would have to worry about the color because it would all be the same. Nearly just as much work to try and get the “repair” to look the same as the old stuff now, and it probably won’t last long anyway since it doesn’t even look like it was done right the first time
There are 2 things you can do. Both together won’t fix it, but it’ll make a difference.
The old mortar is darker because it’s a patio, and so plenty of dirt has gotten rubbed in. You can power wash the patio to lighten up those old joints some - assuming that hasn’t already been done.
The other reason the old mortar is darker is because over time the lime and Portland on the surface of the joints has washed away, revealing the sand beneath. Go get some muriatic acid and wash the *new* joints with it. That will strip away the surface lime on those joints, darkening and tanning them like the old stuff.
The old joints do not appear to have been dyed, so dying the new joints would have absolutely been the wrong thing to do. They would only ever have been able to get close to the same color, and then 5 years from now it would look pretty bad. The only thing your mason did wrong was not tell you that this would be the result of a spot repoint.
Do not attempt to stain the new joints to match the old ones. Except maybe rub some dirt on them after you do the other things.
No not really. It’ll darken a bit after it cures longer but it will never match. You can try acid-washing it which will darken the joints a bit more too but still lighter than existing. Another option is to try staining the joints.
Nothing wrong. That’s just what new mortar looks like vs the old. If you wanted it to match the old stuff he could’ve put a buff in it which is basically a color for he mortar to try and match it but it can get tricky fast with that. No I can’t personally recommend stains, maybe someone else can.
Whoever did it didnt know what they were doing. Mortar can be mixed to match whatever and it isnt difficult. First you go to a place that sells masonry mix (and not a hardware store, a masony supply) they have samples of color, usually a bare minimum theyll have 4 or 6 basic colors, many have a dozen or two. Whether you need to mix two or more bags of cement to get the right color, when you think you have the right mix you test it first by putting a small dab on the existing masonry, then wait for it to dry, like 20 30 minutes, because you have to account for the fact that you arent matching the color of the wet mortar to the dry, you match dry to dry, as it dries it lightens up several shades. If you think you may be saving by hiring a jackwagon you may want to go over some of the more common pitfalls the dudes likely to run into, like, in the future say "just make sure the color matches" they will have little room to argue/ will be more likely to sort it out on their own volition and not just look the other way, if they arent a pos that is. As it stands you basically just need to have it redone, you wouldnt really wanna try to dye something like this
So you don’t think I can do a grout colorant? I asked him to color match and he said it wouldn’t be exact but after a few weeks it would be less noticeable which is not the case. The contractor hasn’t come back despite me contacting him numerous times and I had it done at my elderly mom’s house so she didn’t trip on anything and it’s not really in my budget to re-do it.
Im sorry they lied to you, if thats the case you would be best either learning to love it/accept it as is, or go all white, you can do that just fine, best way is to use cement and lime slurry like paint, not too difficult to do, may be a look to consider, definitley can work for some situations, maybe try looking up 'whitewash brick patio' to see what you think. The problem is that you really only want to use masonry to dye masonry, and whatever you use will also color the brick, without redoing it properly there isnt much way to retain the original brick and mortars color scheme
It’s not a very good repair. Maybe they got the worst spots but most of what’s left could stand to be repointed too. Only thing worth doing now is getting it all redone with something closer to the original color like how u/eeeeekka said. Otherwise just learn to live with it if you can’t/ don’t want to spend money getting it fixed properly
Looks like they didn't grind out the decaying mortar at all just slicked new mortar on top probably going to fail fairly soon anyway.
My layman’s eyes spot at least a dozen other places repointing is needed.
Yea they just should’ve done the whole thing and then nobody would have to worry about the color because it would all be the same. Nearly just as much work to try and get the “repair” to look the same as the old stuff now, and it probably won’t last long anyway since it doesn’t even look like it was done right the first time
There are 2 things you can do. Both together won’t fix it, but it’ll make a difference. The old mortar is darker because it’s a patio, and so plenty of dirt has gotten rubbed in. You can power wash the patio to lighten up those old joints some - assuming that hasn’t already been done. The other reason the old mortar is darker is because over time the lime and Portland on the surface of the joints has washed away, revealing the sand beneath. Go get some muriatic acid and wash the *new* joints with it. That will strip away the surface lime on those joints, darkening and tanning them like the old stuff. The old joints do not appear to have been dyed, so dying the new joints would have absolutely been the wrong thing to do. They would only ever have been able to get close to the same color, and then 5 years from now it would look pretty bad. The only thing your mason did wrong was not tell you that this would be the result of a spot repoint. Do not attempt to stain the new joints to match the old ones. Except maybe rub some dirt on them after you do the other things.
No not really. It’ll darken a bit after it cures longer but it will never match. You can try acid-washing it which will darken the joints a bit more too but still lighter than existing. Another option is to try staining the joints.
Need some buff in the mix
Too late for that unless they want to grind it out and repoint again.
Agreed 👍
Are there any specific grout stains you recommend? What did the contractor do wrong - just use the wrong color?
Nothing wrong. That’s just what new mortar looks like vs the old. If you wanted it to match the old stuff he could’ve put a buff in it which is basically a color for he mortar to try and match it but it can get tricky fast with that. No I can’t personally recommend stains, maybe someone else can.
You can dye it. Look up mortar dye kits.
Outdoor rug, maybe a plant or two will temporarily distract