I swung by Lowes today to see what kind of mortar (and mortar ingredients) they carry. Neither they nor Home Depot seem to carry white Portland cement, so unless I go through a supplier or lumber yard, it looks like my only choice is gray mortar. However, I’m not sure that’s such a bad thing. Most of the stuff is going underneath the stones, where it won’t be seen. Gray Portland is cheaper than white Portland. What about using gray mortar to bond the stones, then filling in the gaps and other visible areas with white grout? That might be a plan. I just need to look into what kind of “grout” (I put that in quotes, because grout, mortar, etc. all seem to be basically the same thing, namely portland cement, sand, and additives in varying ratios) I would need to get.
Lowes carrys Quikrete products (Home Depot carries Sakrete). They have a bewildering variety of different Quikrete products on the shelf…
[More:]
| Number | Description | Bag Weight | Bag Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1102 | Mortar Mix | 60lbs | $4.00 |
| 1125 | Type N Masonry Cement | 70lbs | $8.00 |
| 1125 | Type S Masonry Cement | 70lbs | $8.50 |
| 1136 | Mason Mix – Type S Mortar | 60lbs | $4.50 |
| 1136-58 | Blended Mortar Mix | 80lbs | $5.32 |
| 1124 | Portland Cement Type I/II | 94lbs | $9.64 |
| 1103 | Sand/Topping Mix | 60lbs | $4.00 |
| 1230 | “Quikwall” Surface Bond Cement – White | 50lbs | $17.00 |
| 1962 | Medium Sand | 50lbs | $5.00 |
| 1152 | All-Purpose Sand | 50lbs | $2.90 |
| 1133 | Vinyl Concrete Patch | 40lbs | $13.43 |
| 1585 | Precision Grout | 50lbs | $14.00 |
The task now, is to go through all of these, check the Quikrete web site to see what’s actually in each of them, and determine which product(s) are appropriate for my job. Stay tuned.