Mortar mix from 2019 vs 2024 - is it just me or is the color fading way faster now?

I built a retaining wall near Austin back in 2019 using the same brand and type of mortar I bought last spring, and the new stuff is already looking bleached and chalky while the old wall still has that deep gray tone, so what changed in the formula or did I just get a bad batch?

3 comments

3 Comments

oliver_mitchell19d ago

Austin area here too, and I'm honestly shocked nobody else is talking about this. I used the same Quikrete type S mortar for a stone planter in 2020 and it's still holding color. Bought a fresh bag last fall for a repair and it turned white in like three months. That's insane to me. Something definitely changed in their formula or sourcing because that's not normal fading.

smith.jordan19d ago

Not to nitpick but I dont think it's the formula or sourcing exactly. I talked to a guy at the local masonry supply and he said Quikrete switched their Portland cement supplier back in 2021. That new supplier's cement has way more free lime in it, which causes the efflorescence issues. So it's not the whole mix changing, just one ingredient that's messing everything up.

noahjenkins18d ago

Figured I'd finally chime in because this is the exact kind of thing my luck attracts. Used Quikrete type S for a little garden wall last month. Looked great for two weeks. Then it rained and now it looks like someone dusted the whole thing with flour. My wife just stares at it and shakes her head. Pretty sure I could make a decent pizza in that thing now with all the white dust. Classic me, picking the exact wrong bag at Home Depot.