We added an addition to our old stone house leaving the stone exposed. We had a window patched with the same stone as the house. The problem is that the color of the motar is so much lighter then the old motar. Since the wall is now inside, it won't whether the way it might if it were still an outside wall. Any suggestions?
I'd probably start really easy here. If you lived in AZ, I'd tell you to go get dirt from the backyard and rub it in. It's the same color as your old mortar.
If the mortar hasn't been sealed, you could try staining it with a very diluted stain. Start really light and work up. It is better to be lighter and add more layers that to go too dark. Let it dry thoroughly between treatments. If you have any scrap or hidden mortar, start with that. This will be an experiment.
I'm wondering out load what something like strong tea would do on the mortar. It is very subtle color that you need. You need something that will absorb and not lie on the surface.
I was going to suggest the tea, myself. That or take some of the dirt from outside and add to water. Put either in a spray bottle and lightly spray on mortar.
Thanks - we did try the dirt (as our contractor suggested) but it didn't seem to penetrate. I thought of tea -remembering when I used a tea soak to turn white curtains into "antique white"! Given how porous and sandy this stuff is, I think it will take a lot. What do you think of using cement "stain"?
If it is possiable, try to get your contractor to pour? a slab of the mortar so you can practice with all these different ideas before you use it on the wall. That way you lessen the chance of making things worse. Extra strong coffee might work better than tea.
Even though this looks like a real strong difference it is not. I would be afraid to use a stain until I'd tried something else. Use an old toothbrush and kind of scrub in a strong tea or mud mix and let dry thoroughly before deciding to go further.
