My foundation color shifted after 8 years, mortar mix or something else?

I laid a front walk and small retaining wall back in 2016 using a standard Type N mix from the local yard. Fast forward to last month and I noticed the mortar lines have gone from a light gray to a yellowish tan, while the brick face stayed the same. I checked my records and the sand I used came from a pit outside Trenton, so I wonder if it had more iron in it than I thought. A buddy of mine said it could be efflorescence that never got washed off, but I've pressure washed it twice since then. Has anyone seen their mortar shift color this slowly, or is my sand just garbage? Would repointing only the joints be worth it, or should I live with it?

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paulc9311d ago

Think about how everything changes slower than you expect. Your house settles, paint fades, even that cheap plastic deck chair turns brittle long before you remember to replace it. Mortar's the same way, it's a living thing almost, reacting to every wet season and dry spell for a decade before you even notice. Eight years sounds crazy but it's really just the timeline of things you don't look at closely every day. I'd bet on the sand having some iron in it, but honestly, repointing ten year old work that's just a color thing is a lot of effort for something you'll probably stop seeing in a month.