Colouring concrete /mortar.

[Skyedriver]

Fancy trying my hand at some imitation sandstone, concrete items for the garden. Been looking in Jewsons, they have a number of colours available but not sure what they really come out like. Guess part of the problem might be the colour of the sand and the quantity of colouring. Anyone tried this?

[Sam_68]

Skyedriver said:

Guess part of the problem might be the colour of the sand and the quantity of colouring.

It is.

Skyedriver said:

Anyone tried this?

Yes, we use coloured mortar all the time. Only way to be sure is to mix up a batch and build a sample panel of brickwork. Even then, it's not foolproof - it sometimes looks OK on a 1m2 panel of brickwork, but bloody awful when you come to start building whole houses out of the stuff.

[Jonboy_t]

I did black colouring in cement for filling around block paving a few years back. It turned out more charcoal than black in the end! It's at my old man's house and I don't get there often, but last time I was there (~6 months ago, maybe 5 years after it was laid) it had turned a pretty rancid greeny/grey colour.

Perhaps a healthier dose of the colouring would have been more use, but I'm sure I followed the instructions when I did it!