Just realized the mortar color swap on the Elm Street job went from brown to light gray in one weekend

Dakota Lee · 2026-10-07T14:25:03.552122+00:00

We repointed about 40 feet of an old chimney on Elm Street last month. The original mortar was a dark brown mix, and the homeowner wanted it lighter to match the new stone patio. I did a small test patch on a Friday. By Sunday the difference was obvious. The brown looked almost wet next to the light gray. Took 2 bags of type N and a half bag of white. The mason I work with said the sand was the real culprit, not the cement. I still think we should have gone a shade darker. What do you all use for color matching on old brick, just trial and error or do you keep a card with mixes?

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Just realized the mortar color swap on the Elm Street job went from brown to light gray in one weekend | Bricklayers - Guest Forum