What's the best stuff to use to fill red brick?

[philmots]

I don't know what the previous owners of my house have got up to but there's plenty of holes in the bricks from where they've had things bolted to the Walls! Hose pipes, hanging baskets, trellis, gate catches etc etc...

What's the best stuff to fill these holes, to blend in with the colour of the bricks so I don't notice them and secondly to try and stop too much water getting in!

The bricks are a pretty standard 90's red brick (I'm no builder!) some a darker than others etc

Thanks!

[Spudler]

Cement and red sand. Flush up with a smooth bit of timber.

[GarryA]

Either the above or use clear sealant and red sand on top.

[whitechief]

Get a brick that matches and grind it to get some brick dust, then mix that into exterior filler to match the colour of the bricks and fill the holes.

[MrV]

whitechief said:

Get a brick that matches and grind it to get some brick dust, then mix that into exterior filler to match the colour of the bricks and fill the holes.

This is the best way if you don't need to replace any bricks where there are large holes,or you could just use a red dye in normal mixed mortar,something like this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Everbuild-Powder-Mortar-To...

Just have to experiment with the mix so you don't get it to red.

[philmots]

Will my local builders yard have some red sand? Will only need a cup full!

Saying that I'm sure there's a brick or two in the back which I can grind up..'big hammer? Will that be ok over some clear silicone?

[Mr GrimNasty]

Red cement dye in some mortar, bit of trial and error to get a good match.

[m3jappa]

I have only ever seen red sands up North and then its usually a pinky red (much nicere than the southern orange building sand)

I would use whatever building sand you can get and then use a cement dye like mentioned above, infact i recently did the same on my own house, yes when its new it will look really different but dye will tone down quite a bit quite quickly in my experience.

[Spudler]

m3jappa said:

I have only ever seen red sands up North and then its usually a pinky red

Same as "Tilcon" down here in the South. When the holes that need filling are the size of the OPs it blends in a treat with red bricks.
OP, a bag is about £2.30, quite often there will be a ripped bag which they'll sell off as damaged.

[Atomic Gibbon]

Wasps. Wasps get in every small hole in bricks they can find.

If you want to speed up the process, put some jam in the holes. I would reccomend red jam, so it blends in visually with the bricks.

HTH

AG