Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Feb 09, 1999 04:49am | #1

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   Derek I take it your mason did the brickwork on the rest of the house, and this was not some part of a later extension to the house.
   If he did all the bick work it could have been caused by
   a. the mortar was mixed to a different gauge from the rest of the house.
   b. (in the UK where I live we get a big choice of different sands and cements) He may have used a different color of sand or brand of cement.
   c.useing an additive such as washing up liquide (you should not add this to to mix as it weakens it)to make the mortar more workable can also cause a color change.
   d.The motar drying out to quick can also alter the color.

   But with all that said if your not happy dont pay.
   Its not aways possible to tell if the motar has been frosted, untill the weather warms up and then you can see that there is no bond between the brick and the motar (as I've found to my own cost some years ago).
   Not living in the states I cant comment but here in the UK we can have a sample of motar tested to see what gauge it was mixed to.

   Hope this has been of some help.
   Martin

2. 
   Robert_Lindsay | Feb 12, 1999 04:40pm | #2

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   Here's a similar problem I posted to alt.home.repair and a reply that may be helpful.

   >We have a new brick faced home that is 11 months old. Several people
   >have remarked that the mortar was mixed with too much sand and is
   >coming out of the joints. We have questioned the builder about this
   >and he has denied that any problem exists. We are not experts and we
   >do not seem to be able to hire an expert (we have tried) who can
   >assure us as to the quality of the joints. In several places it does
   >appears as though a thin layer of sand is sitting on the surface of
   >the mortar, however the mortar seems ok. Is this normal for new
   >construction? Or is our mortar slowly dissolving due to rain, etc. We
   >would like to know because our home warrenty will be up soon and if
   >we are going to make an issue of this we need to do it quickly.

   Mortar shouldn't be affected by water, period, and it should be like
   a rock and not at all powdery or sandy.

   Get something in writing from the builder assuring you that everything
   is OK with the mortar. If they won't give you a written statement on
   company letterhead, or if they give you one containing a lot of
   disclaimers or conditions, you can bet that they think the mortar is
   bad. Be sure to file a complaint in writing and have it notarized
   and mailed by certified, return-signature mail before the home warranty
   is over. Because then you'll have the right to complain even after
   the warranty expires. You'll probably have this right even if you
   don't write, but it's a lot harder to prove oral complaints and
   promises in court, something that the warranty company and builder
   are quite aware of. If you have to hire a lawyer, make sure he'll
   work strictly on a contingency fee basis or else he just won't care.

   You may want to ask the municipal building inspection department
   where they send cement and mortar out for testing. The construction
   engineering department of a local college should also know. Or
   call a big cement supplier.

   It wouldn't surprise me if the builder either mixed the mortar wrong
   or used type N instead of type M or S. A lot of firms have been
   hiring literally almost anybody who walks up to a construction site,
   and most such people aren't qualified at all.

   I suggest you post your question in the FINE HOMEBUILDING discussion
   forum at http://www.taunton.com.

3. 
   cameron_ | Feb 12, 1999 04:40pm | #3

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   our mason over christmas decided that he wanted to quickly finish the high gable on our house, and with everyone being out of town he was left with explicit instructions not to work on it if it was anywhere near 32 degrees. well, it being the highest part of the house i guess he figured no one would ever notice but a difference in mortar colour caught my eye and i went up to investigate. what i found was a dusty and chalky mortar unlike that on the rest of the house. obviously he says he didn't lay any brick on freezing days but i need to know a) what else would cause this
   b) is this even a symptom of frozen mortar
   c) would any of you masons out there recommend tearing it off and redoing it (for the record my favourite option) or can he re-point over the existing
   thanks in advance derek