Cost to upgrade to white mortar

9 years ago

We are in the process of selecting brick and mortar, and I was very disappointed to find out how much more it costs to upgrade to a lighter colored mortar. For reference, the house is 4300 sq feet.

Buff mortar/natural sand $2750
Buff mortar/washed sand $4550
Buff mortar/white sand $5800
White mortar/natural sand $3400
White mortar/washed sand $5800
White mortar/white sand $7200

I don't know which option I would prefer until I see the differences.

I want to go with a light colored brick, and I don't like the look of contrasting mortar.

What did other people pay? I'm trying to figure out a way to get the cost down.

Featured Answer

User

9 years ago

Very reasonable for the differences. It's a drop in the bucket for a whole build, and greatly impacts the look of your home. However, it's very rare that bright white looks good with any stone. The buff with the white sand is usually light enough without being too stark over bleached teeth WHITE.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

houses14
9 years ago
Do not know prices, but i think you should go with the look wanted. Once it done its done. You can not change.
Personally, i dislike the contrast of brick and mortar either. Brick with mortar represents over all of the house for first impression when pass by
Related Professionals
Anchorage Architects & Building Designers · Ronkonkoma Architects & Building Designers · Accokeek Home Builders · Aliso Viejo Home Builders · Royal Palm Beach Home Builders · Burlington General Contractors · Amarillo General Contractors · Gary General Contractors · Jackson General Contractors · Las Cruces General Contractors · McPherson General Contractors · Olney General Contractors · Parkville General Contractors · Roselle General Contractors · Waipahu General Contractors
User
9 years ago
I would pay more to avoid white mortar. IMO white mortar greatly detracts from the appearance of the brick. You should be looking at samples. Show us photos of them.
worthy
9 years ago
You're not paying more for the mortar. You're paying for the greater effort the masons have to put into keeping the brick clean of mortar, since every spec of white will show.

I've used white mortar and white silica sand (which is much more expensive than natural sand) for a white brick fireplace. But even then the shadow lines make the mortar appear darker.
musicgal
9 years ago
bump
User
9 years ago
The big cost is for all the toothbrushes needed to clean the joints every year.
cmarie7
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the responses. To clarify, I don't think we will go with white mortar. I just want a lighter color that won't be darker than the bricks. I'm not sure of the exact color yet but it won't be bright white.
NChomegirl
9 years ago
Std gray mortar cost about 7.50 per bag in our area. Colored mortar is about $16-17 per bag. That can give you some idea as to the cost difference. Yes there will be a difference in color due to the sand as well. You will probably be ok as long as you are using a buff type of sand and not the orange masonry sand. You can get a sample stick as the manufacturers all have samples but you may not know the type of sand used. If you are truly hung up on the color you can have the mason do a sample panel at your expense. Say 5x5 with mortar/ choose a buff sand and see if it is acceptable to you.