A really good customer asked me a while back to re-point some of the cracked mortar joints in her front steps and front sidewalk. This is a home in the finest neighborhood in town — not a McMansion, but a truly fine home.
I ground out the bad and put in good mortar. I’m confident that the color of the new mortar is very close to the color of the old, but the old stuff also has some dirt and mildew, substantially changing the look.
As a result, the new mortar sticks out like a sore thumb. It looks bright in comparison.
If I decide to clean (bleach, of pressure wash) all of the old mortar, then I’ll not only need to do the walk, but the entire house too — the walk flows into the steps, which flow into the exterior walls……..
So, the question is, how do I promote the growth of the mildew in the new mortar, so that this customer will be truly happy?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Unless you’re the lead dog, the view just never changes.
Replies
You can spray on some buttermilk and then cover with plastic wrap. If it is warm enough, say 65 or 70 F, it should start to mold up in a day.
Pancake syrup? Koolaid? Just about anything with sugar will support some nice growth, especially if you cover it from the sun.
Maybe just rub it with dirt and wood ashes to knock the 'Ultrabrite' look off?
The mold you want to grow is the same stuff that grows on untreated wood surfaces and 'greys-out' the wood. It comes from air-borne mold spores settling into standing water or moisture. It's going to take a few months or a whole season to develop. I don't think you can hurry that process.
If you spray it with a sugar solution or anything else, you'll be encouraging the growth of a different kind of mold which won't necessarily be the same colour. Plus, sugar is highly acid and the cement in the mortar probably won't like that much....
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
A couple of years ago I was puting in a new entrance door and floor in a split foyer.
On the wall to one side of the stairs were some old plaster "stones" kinda like an early attempt at fvaux stone work.
in the process of getting a base board heat cover off I nicked on of the stones exposing the lilly white core.
So i went out back to the gas grill and got a finger full of soot and repaired the damage.
blended right in!!
Mr. T. MOTOL
"I think natural selection must have greatly rewarded the ability to reassure oneself in a crisis with complete bull$hit."
I'm Swiss!
Never underestimate the power of Dirt.
If Yesma'am's job covers an extensive area, all he has to do is set up a bunch of scaffolding and hire a class of first graders. They'll climb all over that jungle-jim like crazy and have that wall dirty in no time flat....
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
I've heard of rubbing yogurt onto new chimneys to make them look old. While it might fool the eye from the street, it may or may not be convincing close up.
Mike
The way I heard it, it was a mixture of yogurt (gotta use the all-natural non-pasturized stuff with active bacterial culture) mixed with fresh cow manure.I have not tried this so I can't say for sure if it will work, but if that mixture doesn't grow some kind of mold or fungus or something nasty, I don't know what would.
Just stop by and talk to your business insurance agent. Ask him if you're covered for mold.
Mold should start growing on all your jobs right away!
;<)
Thomas
Edited 9/2/2005 8:20 pm ET by thoscon
Edited 9/2/2005 8:20 pm ET by thoscon
Mix up some yogurt, beer , and honey to spray or brush on. then entertain the owners while stuff grows.
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Mix up some yogurt, beer , and honey to spray or brush on. then entertain the owners while stuff grows.Beer? Ohhh noooo! I'll send some mold... "what's in a name?" d'oh!
Not exactly mould but I do know how to grow moss.
learned it from a Forest Ranger. Rocks grow moss but it takes years for it reestablish itself after the rocks have been trod upon. People aren't supposed to leave the path but they do.
The technique is to go out into the woods where the moss is plentiful and bits won't be missed. Collect a pound or so. Dump this mass into a blender. Add buttermilk. Blend to a slurry. spread this thickly onto the rock tops missing their moss and mist regularly to maintain moisture. Inside of a few weeks the moss will reestablish itself and grow in a manner that looks entirely natural blending with moss that has been there for decades.
This same method is great for making new rock gardens, stone pavers and walls look old.
I have also seen people make new surfaces look old by using various washes. Coffee grounds, mud, clay , milk, and highly thinned latex paints can be used as a wash to stain the new surfaces. Trick is to use two or more different mixes letting them set for variable times to create a random and uneven color pattern. From what I saw this was more an art than a science.