Using play sand as building sand

glothy

Most people ask the difference between builders sand and play sand because they want to use builders sand in a play pit (don't do this unless you want your children and their clothes to have a colourful orange staining), but I need to mix a white cement for fitting a limestone fireplace. Limestone is very porous so mixing white cement with normal building sand will produce yellow concrete and cause the whole fire surround to stain. The only whiteish sand I can find is play sand. Is there any reason I can't use it in place of builders sand? As far as I can tell the only difference is that play sand is washed and won't stain.

Ruski

Use white bagged tile cement

HTH

Russ

Furts

Minsterstone make fireplaces and supply bags of powdered limestone for the jointing. This is not cheap - they have a huge mark up, but I guess you can buy it elsewhere cheaper - try ebay or a builders merchant.

You are wrong with your comment on building sand - if you buy washed sand then there will be no staining. Equally sea dredged sand has no staining. Holm Sand is an example here.

glothy

Furts wrote: »

Minsterstone make fireplaces and supply bags of powdered limestone for the jointing. This is not cheap - they have a huge mark up, but I guess you can buy it elsewhere cheaper - try ebay or a builders merchant.

You are wrong with your comment on building sand - if you buy washed sand then there will be no staining. Equally sea dredged sand has no staining. Holm Sand is an example here.

Typical builders sand isn't washed though and has iron deposits which cause the staining

FreeBear

Silver sand and play pit sand - Both the same stuff, and the latter has a much higher mark up. Kiln dried sand is also non-staining, although you do have to be selective about it as some contain weedkillers.

Silica sand may be a close match for what the OP wants as it is a pale grey/white colour. For pure white, there is also ground marble dust, but it is expensive and I wouldn't mix it with cement (of any colour).

As has already been suggested, white tile cement is available. Alternatively, go for a lime mortar (NHL3.5 mixed with two parts silver sand).

Furts

glothy wrote: »

Typical builders sand isn't washed though and has iron deposits which cause the staining

Buy washed sand, or wash your building sand. Indeed the last bag of building sand I bought at B&Q appeared to be washed sand. But a limestone fireplace should not be built with whatever building sand is available, nor from white bagged tile cement. Any competent builder matches the mortar to the product so would seek a limestone type/coloured mix.

glothy

Doesn't seem to be any reason why I shouldn't use play sand then. I've been advised not to use tile adhesive as it's unlikely to be strong enough and the play sand is the whitest stuff I can pick up nearby. Silica sand looks good but much more expensive. Similar with limestone/marble dust. Alternative would be going to a quarry or waiting weeks for delivery and I need a quick simple solution. Thanks for the tips.

Tom99

I used plaster of paris

Ruski

I'd challenge anyone to prove to me that mortar is stronger that tile adhesive...

My fireplace is adhered quite nicely with tile cement - pleased to report it hasn't fallen off the wall yet!

Russ

FreeBear

Ruski wrote: »

I'd challenge anyone to prove to me that mortar is stronger that tile adhesive...

Most tile adhesives are cement based - Back butter a tile and lay it on a thin bed of adhesive, and nothing is going to shift it. Proviso that the surfaces are suitable for tiling, dry, and clean.

A do it yourself mix of cement and sand is much more likely to fail at some point..