Heard a guy at the supply yard say mortar color doesn't matter for strength, just for looks

I was picking up some type N for a chimney repoint in Cincinnati last week, and this older mason was telling the counter guy that all the talk about matching historic mortar colors is just cosmetic. He said the lime content and mix ratio are what actually hold the wall together, and the pigment is just dye. It got me thinking about a job I did six months ago where the homeowner insisted on a perfect color match for their 1920s brick, and we spent a whole extra day getting it right. Part of me thinks he has a point, especially on structural work you won't even see. But another part feels like getting the color right shows you care about the whole craft, not just the brute force part. What's the general take here? Is perfect color matching a mark of a true craftsman, or is it just extra hassle for no real gain?

3 comments

3 Comments

betty12610h ago

Wait, he said the color doesn't MATTER for strength? That's just wild to me! The whole point is keeping the building looking right, not just standing up.

reese_lane2911h ago

Yeah but that color mismatch on my own garage still bugs me every time I pull in.

-1

nathan_thompson6210h ago

Just paint the whole thing black and call it a feature. My neighbor’s garage door is three different shades of white and he swears he doesn’t see it. Drives me nuts just looking at it from across the street. Some things you just have to learn to ignore or you’ll go crazy.