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Vic Smith Vic Smith is offline
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Default Making concrete look old & dirty

On Thu, 02 Dec 2010 12:40:53 -0500, blueman wrote:

I need to patch some concrete outside and I want to be able to match the
color (basically 'dirty looking') and make it look old & weathered.

Can I just add a little 'dirt' (i.e. soil) to the mix to make it look
darker and dirtier or will this create problems such as encouraging
organic growth or weakening the concrete (I would only add a little
bit).

Any better ways to weather concrete?

Note: it's only a small patch so I was hoping for something simple and
cheap...


Don't use dirt.
You can try to match the aggregate stone, and the sand by using a
similar color. You can buy coloring also.
Last time I bought mortar color powder was 20 years ago, and it was
about 3 bucks a pound, smallest container being 5 lbs.
Never colored concrete.
If the job is small, you might look at aquarium sand and gravel to mix
in with cheap sand and gravel to your portland.
You'd have to test mixes, letting some set before you could see the
outcome.
There's other "issues" with patching concrete depending on what you're
patching.

--Vic