I made some changes with some plumbing and piping and now I'm left with three openings in the brick siding of my house that I want to fill in. The openings are from the removal of two 3" diameter PVC pipes and one 1" pipe. I have brick pieces that are the right size to put in the openings and some color mortar mix from when the house was built but I'm not sure how much sand to mix with the mortar. Any bricklayers here that can help me out?

 

http://www.mc2-ice.com/popular_conve...nry/mortar.htm

 

No problem Bruker:

Use a Type "M" mortar which is a mixture of: 1 part Portland cement, 1/3 part hydrated lime and 4 parts clean, washed sand (by volume not weight). Dry mix these ingredients together before adding water. Get all these ingredients at your building supply house. Don't use beach sand. Get the sand at the building supply place. You can also buy everything pre-mixed in a sac. Makes it much easier! I'm not sure if what you have is just the dye or the cement, lime and dye mixed together without the sand. If you know what you have and what ratios the mix is, adding the proper amount of sand is easy.

Before mortaring those bricks in place test the bricks to see how much water the absorb. Place a tablespoon of water on a brick. If the brick sucks up that water in less than about two minutes you will have to soak those bricks in water. After they soak a few minutes let them air dry for several minutes untill the surface is damp but not oozing water. Then you can set those bricks with the mortar. Some of the newer types of bricks don't need wet-setting.

Older bricks are like sponges and if they are not soaked first they will suck up the water from the mortar and that will weaken the mortar joint. Cement should set slowly and it can only do that if the water remains in the mix itself.

-1bigsteve (o:

 

1bigsteve, I checked the bag and it's Cemex-Richcolor, Type N Masonary Cement. On the back of the bag it says: 1 bag (71#'s) masonary cement plus 2&1/4-3 cubic feet of loose, damp masonary sand make masonary mortar. Any idea how many cubic feet are in a bag?

 

With the possibilty of one matching the color of the old cement joints being slim anyway, I would use what I use at work. They are 1 lb. bags of premixed mortar mix,(also come in larger ones) from Lowes. It is already mixed with the right sand /portland cement ratio, and strong too. jmo

 

If there is any possibility that there is Hydrated Lime in the mix - WEAR RUBBER GLOVES!!!

- I learned that the hard (and painful) way. ANY cuts or gashes you get Lime into will ulcerate and turn into big nasty sores that take their own sweet time to heal.

I've had a front walkway project on the books for a while, and pouring the cobblestone texture in as the top layer (with a mold) tore me up. That was just before the rainy season, now it's hot. I suppose the only reason I'm really procrastinating is because I remember about those chem burns, if I am truly honest with myself.

~Greywolf

 

If I am reading you right 71#'s is 71lbs. It looks to me that you have a 71lb. sac of Masonary Cement with the dye already added. Most, if not all, Masonary Cements have an additive simular to hydrated lime already added, such as "fireclay." These additives, like lime, gives the mortar mix it's "plastic" quality. So it looks like they are telling you to add that 71lb. sac of Masonary Cement with 2 1/4 to 3 cubic feet of sand. Now that is fine when mixing for huge projects but with your smaller project you probably don't need to use the whole sac. I would mix one part Masonary Cement with 4 parts sand by volume. This is a very good ratio for general work. Sand you can get by the shovel-full or sac. I don't remember how many cubic feet of sand is in a particular sac but the supply store can tell you. Different parts of the U.S. have different sac sizes and Cements.

When I do small patch jobs I always use a tomato can, or such, as a measuring device that way I don't make too much at one time (one can of cement and 4 cans of sand, etc.). Like GreyWolf said earlier, keep lime, if you use it, off your hands. Lime can form open sores that cement workers sometimes refer to as "strawberries." And whatever you do, keep lime out of your eyes. I always work with the wind at my back when working with lime. A few simple precautions can save you alot of trouble and make the job a breeze. It looks like you have the "lime like" additive already added to your sac of cement so you can forget about adding lime.

Don't hesitate to ask the guys at the Building Supply place questions when you pick up the sand. Their usually alot of help.

Have fun.

-1bigsteve (o:

 

Ask about the hazard!

I'm serious.

Steve? I hate to undercut ya, but that's for REAL!
(It hurt like all get out too...)

 

Lime has never been a big problem for me. Probably because I keep my hands wet when working with it. I keep a sponge and bucket of water handy and keep the mud off.

My brother-in-law is a different case. He gets strawberries but keeps on working without gloves. Blood ooze and all. I hurt just looking at his hands!

Pure lime in an open cut can send you to the moon real quick. Been there once. Alot of brick masons and tile setters got smart and wear gloves now. I never touch pure lime with my bare hands. I also keep it out of my eyes .

-1bigsteve (o: