Changing mortar color
Joan Head
4 years ago
I’ve read about changing grout color but is it possible to change mortar color on a fireplace?
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Comments (15)
PROPatricia Colwell Consulting
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Hostas that don't change color in the sun, or color change rules
Comments (3)You will rarely see a good blue in the sun... blue coloring in hostas is actually a wax coating over a green(chlorophyll) background. Maybe the best example of this is from the Halcyon family. Halcyon is a nice wax blue. June is a sport from Halcyon with the blue wax genes intact. On the other hand, Devon Green is a green sport from Halcyon that lacks the wax gene and is a shiny green. June Fever, the very bright yellow (in Spring) with a thin green margin is bright and shiny precisely because it is not, as we were originally told, a June sport but rather a sport from Devon Green - it lacks the wax gene and is thus shiny. In the sun, the heat, or after a lot of rain and overhead watering, the waxy blues will lose their wax and become green. It seems that some cultivars will generate more wax, while others never seem to develop it again in the same season after it melts away. The Halcyon clan has been the best at holding blue into the heat of summer. El Nino and First Frost both are still a good blue with the added advantage of crisp white borders. Touch of Class holds up very well in sun. This family has the added advantage of standing up longer into the fall as well. They often look good after many of the other hostas have died back from the first frosts. A surprise for me is how well Kiwi Full Monty, a striptease sport with bluer leaves, holds its blue into summer. And the new flushes will be very blue even if the older ones have lost their wax. So, yes... there are some general rules - but there are plants in each category that do just the opposite. usually yellows get yellower in more sun and more chartreuse in more shade, the simple reason being the plant needs more chlorophyll to grow in lower light conditions. But there are exceptions - yellow plants that get more greenish in sun. And among the green ones, there are probably more that become less green in bright light and darker green in lower light - but there are some that reverse this. I've never seen an exception in the blues - a plant that gets bluer in brighter light. I sometimes plant blue plants in the sun - though they won't look as good, they will often grow much faster, allowing me to get some extra growth on them before moving them into the shade....See Morefireplace help!
Comments (8)Not by any means a pro but a pretty good self taught DIY'er and have tried some pretty good off the wall ideas that have worked well. First off, I don't think you can stain your grout lighter over a darker stain. I know you can go darker but it sounds like that isn't what you want and it already looks dark. It is the living room side with the stone you are trying to change the grout color right? It looks like you have framed out the kitchen wall and eliminating the granite side (or perhaps that was for demo only?). I would mix a lighter color of grout that compliments the stone and to your liking and mix the grout to a little thinner consistency. Using a grout bag, pipe the grout out between the rocks and flatten with a paint brush, pushing the grout around the sides of the rock and covering the darker grout. It appears your grout is set pretty deep around the stone so you would have room to work it in and cover the darker grout without making it too shallow. Not sure but wonder if you could add a little bonding agent to your grout to help it grab. If the existing grout has been sealed, might want to use a metal brush and score it up a bit before adding another layer of grout. Now to the tv issue.....I recently did a manufactured stone fireplace in my master bedroom and constructed a recessed box to install a motorized tv mount above the mantel/shelf. Was a real pain to do. After I was hooking up the tv, found that it fit nicely just on the shelf and there was no need for the recessed box. Would that work for you? Are you framing in the brick chimney or leaving it exposed? The removal of the ceiling really opened it up. It looks like you are doing a fun project. Good luck!!...See MoreNeed to figure things out ASAP! :)
Comments (42)Daisy, it is thanks to your comment about using darker colors to keep the room from being choppy w/the woodwork that stuck in my mind! Like you, I love those airy rooms but I agree that it won't work. I just told my friend, "My fireplace would eat anything dainty alive!" The sample of the terracotta is in the DR. It would only be in that room. I am not sold on it. I like the idea of something like it . . .but not that shade. Grandma, thank you for not giving up on the room!!! Do you really not like the bookcases on that wall (where they are now) or is it that you want more seating in the other area? Even w/o the bookcases, no one in the family likes anything . . .not a chair, even, to block the window. I have tried. And, I do think the bookcases look pretty heavy in that area where they are now, but (not sure if this would work), I am going to wallpaper the backs of them with something light and a pattern. I thought that might reduce some of the weight in that area. Now, one of your options of moving the bookcases and then the chair on each side of the window may work. I think I did try recently and there was not enough room w/the couch to be centered on the wall (because the chair sticks out so much), but I will try again. And yes, this is definitely the time to move things around because everything is bolted to the wall, but will be "free" now that the room is getting painted! I would love both chairs at the end of that room . . .going to go do some moving now. :)...See MoreHow to Change Mortar?
Comments (2)I am far from an expert on mortar and bricks but after some consternation and several sample tests we recently changed our dark grey mortar by covering it with a ‘standard white’ color of grout—Though the result is closer to a German Schmear than what you want. Ours was a stone fireplace with the original mortar deeply indented so there was space for the off white grout to adhere Between the stones. Unlike you, we were going for a lighter stone color too so we were not concerned about getting some of the grout on the stone. We did take a stiff brush and water to the stone to get most of the grout off the stone and To even out the color. I wouldn’t expect that to work too well with brick. I gave our contractor a picture of a fireplace in the “Patina” farmhouse book to copy. We tried to use ‘light’ colored ’mortar’ but it was too grey and ‘thin set’ would not stick well in our mortar crevices. We have used a lot of the BM Revere Pewter in our remodel and I can see why you are concerned about your fireplace outcome complimenting (or not) the paint color. We used “BM White Dove” on these walls but there is some light taupe similar to Revere in the ceiling coffers. I will post before and after pics so you can see what I mean....See MoreJoan Head
4 years agoI would love to get an opinion. I found this masonry paint and did a test in a hidden spot. What do you think? paint all of the mortar or leave dark? Thanks!
Joan Head
3 years agoL Cole
3 years agoWe cleaned the stone with a stone cleaner from our local fireplace store. Then painted the grout a lighter color.
Joan Head thanked L ColeMomma Farmer
3 years agoI recently painted the grout in a stone fireplace using Flexrock by Beauti-tone. It is a stone coating... you can see here the previous dark brown mortar that someone had painted on and parts of the new grey. Up close it looks just like mortar. Super easy to do...this took a couple of days - just tedious work. Their website is www.techstone.ca . They have several colours. I realize this is not the prettiest fireplace but it worked for the situation. I also used this to cover up the front sidewalks that were stained red.
Joan Head thanked Momma Farmer
Angel 18432
3 years agoJoan Head
3 years agoJoan Head
3 years agoJoan Head
3 years ago- PRO
Hansen Wholesale
3 years agoWell done...I am such a fan of this whitewashed stone look.
Now you just need to finish off the opening with a new door or screen.
Black Rock fireplace doors in Natural Iron
Custom Solid Brass Screen and Andirons in a Pewter Finish
Provided by: Hansen Wholesale 
Kristi Hedberg
2 months ago
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