Ready Mixed Mortar

neilmcl

Anyone have any experience with the ready mixed mortar, for example https://www.diy.com/departments/blue-circle-quality-assured-ready-mixed-mortar-5kg-tub/214074_BQ.prd

I've a smallish job on a garden wall to do but I don't want to buy whole bags of sand and cement  as most of it ends up getting wasted.

Ebe_Scrooge

I've used it before, had a small job to do and a neighbour had some left over that he gave to me.  Nothing at all wrong with it, it just works out far more expensive than buying sand & cement and mixing it yourself.  But like you say, if it's just a very small job it can work out more economical as you don't have so much wastage.

stuart45

It works out a bit cheaper to buy a bag of cement and a bag of building sand than the tub, so it would a pain if you didn't have quite enough in the tub. There are usually a few damaged bags in B&Q that they will knock off a few £.
One advantage with mixing your own is you can vary the strength.

TELLIT01

There is a potential downside to buying cement and sand separately as I discovered when my neighbour died and I offered to help his wife clear out his garage and sheds.  I came across umpteen part used bags of cement which had gone hard over the years but he hadn't got rid of.  Nearly gave myself a hernia shifting them!

FreeBear

Unless it is a very small job, 5Kg isn't going to go far. Yes, it is an expensive way of buying mortar, although the 20Kg bags are a bit cheaper. No sense in buying a 25Kg bag of cement if you can't use all of it within a couple of months..

The best mortar for long term storage is one made from lime putty - Kept in a tub away from frost, it will never go off as long as there is a bit of water on the surface.

mandy47

I've used this for a small pointing job. Not good value for money but better than having leftover sand and cement sitting in the garage forever.

neilmcl

Yes, the above was just an example, you can get a 10Kg bucket from Wickes for a tenner so slightly better value.

parcival

Easy to work with but make sure the tub is enough for your project otherwise it can become even more expensive compared to buying sand / cement.

daivid

As others have said it is perfectly good mortar but expensive. I too find I can get a bag of sand and a bag of cement for less. Another option is ready mixed sand and cement which comes in 10kg bags you still need to mix in the water (and can tailor to suit the job) and whilst more expensive per kilo than a bag of each is cheaper if you only need one bag of mortar mix (or less).

As an aside I have about 12kg of unused mortar mix that I'm yet to dispose of, which is I suppose a lot better than having 40kg of cement hanging around for a trip to the recycling centre.

twopenny

It comes in handy sized bags and as I can't lift or move the seperate bags of s&c I've used it a lot.

Best when you tip it in a bucket to stir the dry contents throughly to ensure it's well blended.

And yes, I left a small bag of cement and it went hard. Couldn't move the darn thing either.

The left over pre mix mortar powder I still keep the extra in a sealed polythene box in the garage. Just as well there's another small job needed doing when it stops raining/blowing/snowing

neilmcl

FreeBear said:

Unless it is a very small job, 5Kg isn't going to go far. Yes, it is an expensive way of buying mortar, although the 20Kg bags are a bit cheaper. No sense in buying a 25Kg bag of cement if you can't use all of it within a couple of months..

The best mortar for long term storage is one made from lime putty - Kept in a tub away from frost, it will never go off as long as there is a bit of water on the surface.

Can you buy this locally from a large chain or do you have to go to one of the specialist sites?