Repointing side wall

FreeBear

danrv said: It is a big job for DIY, especially the top half of the wall. Just a case of trying to preserve the materials as it’s being done a bit at a time.

A 25l bucket will easily hold a 25Kg bag of cement or hydrated lime. If you're buying 12.5Kg bags, a 10l tub will be big enough. Or pick up some 5l food containers from Poundland..

For doing jobs such as yours spread over a period of time, you can't beat a lime putty mortar - Kept in a suitable container, it never goes off or sets as long as it remains wet - I have tubs here that are still good three or more years after first mixing.

danrv

FreeBear said:

danrv said: It is a big job for DIY, especially the top half of the wall. Just a case of trying to preserve the materials as it’s being done a bit at a time.

A 25l bucket will easily hold a 25Kg bag of cement or hydrated lime. If you're buying 12.5Kg bags, a 10l tub will be big enough. Or pick up some 5l food containers from Poundland..

For doing jobs such as yours spread over a period of time, you can't beat a lime putty mortar 

Thanks. I assume you mean empty the bags into the tubs? 
The lime mortar one is huge and heavy.
Just bought another Mastercrete handy bag. Need to make this one last.
Didn’t have anything airtight in B&Q.
Amazon best bet.

Haven’t looked into lime putty mortar. I’m using a mix that’s hopefully close to what’s on there already. Just a little lighter, probably due to the lime content.

FreeBear

danrv said: Didn’t have anything airtight in B&Q.
Amazon best bet.

Any restaurants or takeaways nearby ?

Ask them if they have any empty tubs of bulk mayo or similar.

A neigbour used to work for the local prison and had a steady supply of 10l tubs.

danrv

FreeBear said:

danrv said: Didn’t have anything airtight in B&Q.
Amazon best bet.

Any restaurants or takeaways nearby ?

No, unfortunately not.
It’s ok, I can get some.

danrv

Hi
Just doing a bit more pointing at the other end of the wall but the mortar seems to have set a light grey colour.
While it’s a new bag of sand, it’s the same Tarmac brand/type from Homebase (orange/red colour).
I’ve kept the same mix of 5.1.1 sand, cement and lime and would have thought the sand pigment would show through.
Mortar to the left of the piping is what i’d done previously.
Any ideas appreciated.

danrv

I’ll have to assume that maybe the cement isn’t fresh enough as the strength is patchy.
This is the second bag of Blue Circle with a previous half bag left over for the same reason.
I guess it’s best to do a job like this in one go but that’s out.

stuart45

The newer mix looks stronger.

danrv

I may try some mortar tint as it does stand out.
https://steadfastspl.com/product/colour-matching-mortar-tint/
I’ll do a test mix next time but it’s baffling how it’s so different.
Given the time I spend on it, I’d like an even mortar appearance if possible.

stuart45

Can be tricky doing a test mix with dye, as you have to get the same proportion of dye with the bigger mix.

danrv

stuart45 said:

Can be tricky doing a test mix with dye, as you have to get the same proportion of dye with the bigger mix.

I’m hoping to paint on the tint to the problem area of mortar.
I’ll then adjust the ratio of any further mixes to see if I can get it to match the rest of pointing.