How to make colored mortar for brick
The contents
- In some cases, it is preferable to change the color of the seam
- Contrast is a universal method to emphasize the expressiveness of masonry
The process of making ornamental masonry from special grades of brick are often faced with the problem of lack of colors. Despite the relatively large number of colors and shades facing bricks, often the customer and the contractor arguing about the color of the resulting buildings, too different shades and colors can have one building, even a brick one party.
For what purpose invented color solution ↑
In addition to the unpleasant effects of lime efflorescence or salts on a red or dark background, the color and shade of the seam of the cords can change the tone, the overall impression and perception of coloured brickwork. Masters, in the decorative stonework, I know firsthand about the insidious effect of darkening the original color of the wall. Luscious fiery-red, or beige color of brick at the end of the masonry acquired a grayish hue.
The reason is gray or dark gray color of the seam masonry. Approximately 15% of wall surface brick surface is a seam, grey and faceless. The bright shade of the finished building can darken even 3% settled on the brick street dust, and 15% gray seam can completely ruin the appearance of the building.
To prevent the loss of shades by experienced craftsmen in advance of taking some action:
- Minicity seam clobbered varied in color and composition mixes-grout;
- Brick wall paint special colored compounds, exhibiting color, and often gives the brick texture water-repellent properties that prevent efflorescence and discoloration;
- Use coloured mortar for brick masonry after pointing and contouring seam reaches the desired color and shade all brick built.
Using the possibilities of colour solutions ↑
The ability to manipulate the color characteristics of the brickwork, or even separate sections of the wall gives the opportunity to highlight the beauty of texture of the material, especially in the light of the setting or rising sun.
In some cases, it is preferable to change the color of the seam ↑
Choosing the color of the seam, it is possible to allocate with the maximum contrast, the power or, conversely, to merge all in one color with the brick. In both cases, the effect is achieved by using special mineral paints and a couple of ports, warning the loss of binding properties and protects the pigment from destruction and leaching.
Contrast is a universal method to emphasize the expressiveness of masonry ↑
A champion of efficiency and expressiveness has always been, and will remain white mortar for bricklaying. In combination with any, except for the yellow color, shades and colors allows you to visually make the eggs in the colored solution light and bright. The question how to make white mortar for bricklaying, always rests on the economic feasibility of such a venture.
The white colour of the seam masonry can be obtained:
- addition of an excess of slaked lime;
- zinc oxide;
- titanium dioxide.
The latter compound gives exceptionally high quality white color, resistant to oxidation over a dozen years. Previously used additive white lead, but because of lead’s toxicity from its use has been long abandoned.
The high cost of titanium salts often leads to go to the trick. To produce a colored seam actually use two different types of solution. First – normal on the basis of cement-sand mixture. Second – color, white, the composition is mixed on the basis of white cement M-500 with the addition of coloring pigment. The bricklaying carry out using both solutions. The first composition is filled in the whole area for laying bricks, not reaching outer edge of the wall 2-3 cm., Left the space for the outer part of the seam is filled with carefully color – white solution.
Apart from the lovely hardiness, white cement has a dense structure and retains moisture very well, which prevents the penetration of parts of normal salt solution on the wall surface in the form of spots and efflorescence.
The use of colour solutions for masking the masonry joints ↑
In addition to the contrast to underscore the line of bricks, colored binder can be used to completely conceal a wall structure. Thus he mortar seam is absolute coincidence in color with the color of bricks. When cleaning the seam it is aligned flush with the bricks after drying and even repeats its texture. The wall may look like a monolith or have a completely different pattern, the larger the size of the grid blocks of several bricks or specifically delineated and rastogirohan.
And often it’s not a whim of the artistic imagination of the home owner. Experts recommend a similar technique for increasing the thermal insulation characteristics of the walls. In addition, the main problems of cracking beautiful ceramic bricks associated with the intense absorption of moisture through masonry mortar seam, recessed into the wall.
Receiving alignment spectacular, but requires considerable effort and knowledge for accurate selection of the composition of colored binders. After drying, the colored seam is clarified. Moreover, under the action of the sun and rain moisture part of the coloring pigment can fade, which on the background wall appears thin, but clearly distinguishable from a distance the mesh seam.
The specifics of making colored solutions ↑
For the manufacture of juicy and bright colors most often used salts of iron, Nickel, chromium, cobalt, copper. They are stable and resistant to heat and low temperatures. In addition to the coloring pigment, it is important to choose the right carrier based color mixture, usually white cement, bright colors or slag cement for a dark, almost black, flowers. The strongest brands have a distinctive dark, almost black color that helps to get black mortar for bricklaying.
Previously, for black or very dark colored compounds have been used supplements of soot, but as it turned out, amorphous carbon greatly reduces the strength of hardened mortar due to poor wetting, now the black was replaced by a complex iron salts.
Prepare color solution your hands ↑
The main difficulty in the preparation of colored solution is the exact dosage of the dye in the fallopian white or gray mortar. It often happens that the color of the solution becomes your real shade only after a long mixing and complete dissolution of the dye. Therefore, before mixing of the main portion of the colored solution perform several trial mixtures with different amount of dye and water. The pigment is pre-dissolved in definitely warm water with small settling undissolved grains of dye.
Further, in the mixer or a hand mixer in small portions is filled with the dye solution, half cement and one-third of the amount of sand. As Director and the stirring solution is added the remainder of the cement and sand. Usually the total amount of pigment, laid in mortar, is not recommended more than tenth part of the solution for M100 and 1/12 M75-M45.
Innovations in the use of colored masonry mortars ↑
The desire to give the walls a sophisticated and slightly pretentious kind of pushes masters to unusual decisions in the use of colored solutions. A small additive of finely ground glass powder with a fluorescent component makes to glow the mesh seam on a background of dark bricks within a few hours after sunset.
Another unusual application is the grouting of the colored solution with a mixture that changes color depending on the ambient temperature. Thus, as heating or cooling wall made of bricks can change its color and pattern texture.
Such things can be called a fad, but the practice shows that lovers to register their homes in a most unusual way enough, and that means the demand will always be a couple of fresh suggestions.
Conclusion ↑
Also important is the accuracy of the quality pigments. The most sold svetochenkov and pigments, even in wholesale transactions, is a forgery, it is necessary to understand and be prepared for a thorough analysis and comparison of the purchased goods.
Salts of non-ferrous metals are rather expensive raw materials, and in fakes is often replaced with aniline water soluble dyes. Often suffers from durability of colour solutions. Through season two dyes fade or are washed away with rain. In this case, you need to handle the seams weak acid solution and wipe a new grout either be repainting the entire wall.
Sometimes, experts advise to test a sample of dry mix colored solution by heating on an open fire to a temperature of 250onSince, theoretically, the quality of the mixture should not become discolored, fake lose colour. But practices such check are not yet available.