In the majority of cases, the sand on offer will be a yellowy orangey colour just as you may imagine it to be. Without colouring, can anyone recommend how to get a strong pointing mix that is a sandy colour? The original pointing was strong cement so we are planning on a like for like. Now that you know a little more about where sand comes from and why its colour can vary so much it’s time to look at the different types of sand and how they should be used. Sharp Sand (aka Coarse Sand or Pit Sand)

Sand 15kg - Orange Coloured Sand 15kg - Orange

As we have mentioned, if it’s of prime importance that your mortar does match the colour of the existing mortar then you can add certain dyes and tints that will help you colour-match it. To add to the confusion of not only having various different types of sand, each different type of sand can have up to 10 different names depending on the area of the country you’re in and what trade you’re involved in. To perform a silt test you first need a solution of salt water mixed at 5ml of salt to 500ml of clean water. One of the other key constituents of sand is Feldspar. Feldspar is an extremely common group of minerals that makes up nearly three quarters of the Earth’s surface. But with a 4:1 mix and standard Blue Circle cement, both come out largely grey (the golden sand comes out a lighter grey).Now that you know why some sand is a different colour to other sand you may also be thinking, why would it suddenly change colour even though I’m getting it form the same place?

orange glow - The Telegraph Saharan dust storm shrouds Europe in orange glow - The Telegraph

As it is mainly mined from inland areas away from the coast it does not contain salts that would otherwise allow it to absorb atmospheric moisture and this makes it idea for use in the building trade where moisture and damp issues need to be avoided. Aside from the size and shape of grain and where the sand originated from another very important fact that should be considered is how clean the sand actually is. By this we mean establishing its silt content. In terms of colouring, builders sand normally tends to be a light grey colour and can in some instances appear almost white. Top up the jug to the 150ml mark with some more of the salt water solution you previously mixed and then cover the top of the jug and give it a good shake up to mix it all up. As the name suggests (e.g. river sand) this sand-type is normally collected from the beds and banks of rivers or from around more inland water sources as, again, the presence of salts and other organic matter needs to be kept to a minimum to ensure that atmospheric moisture is not absorbed that could then cause damp issues.After another trip to the builders merchant you then discover the only builders sand they have is a red colour which results in your mortar being two different colours, leaving you in the quandary of whether to just use it as it is or try and colour match it using a mortar tone or other colouring method. With this in mind, sand should be treated as a precious resource and wastage kept to a minimum, not only to preserve the sand itself, but to also minimize the environmental impact that goes with having to supply billions of tonnes of sand globally. More often than not, sharp sand or pit sand has a orangy red colouring as it is often found in areas with concentrations of iron-oxide. In terms of the grains that make up beach/jointing sand they do tend to be very fine and through the action of the tides swooshing everything around do also tend to be very smooth and rounded. Next, it’s a waiting game! The jug should be left for at least 3 hours for everything to settle. Once settled, all you need to do then is measure the layer of silt that has settled on top of the sand.