Trends have been slowly moving from the traditional grey mortar mix to white and off-white cement, both on its own and with the addition of coloured oxides, for specific situations. But the ability of off-white, when mixed with certain sands, to compliment the warm colours found in natural stone seems to be behind the surge in popularity of off-white colouring.
Cement Australia’s range of products has always been on trend in terms of colour options, pre-packaged and cement-only products, and an impressive range of additives and oxides for creating original and unique looks for specific finishes. At the heart of Cement Australia’s range is the quality and consistency of its materials and ingredients, and products which look amazing and are great to work with.
For this test WTW revisited stonemason Blake Cooper from Northern Beaches Stone. Blake had just used the Cement Australia General Purpose Cement to lay 50mm-thick natural stone paving and was using Cement Australia Off White Cement as a mortar to complete the look of the job.
TEST #1: USABILITY AND CONSISTENCY
Getting consistent colour across a large job is extremely important, especially working on high-end homes. Blake’s technique for achieving that consistency sounds straightforward.
“Properly mixing the sand and off-white cement before adding the water is key in getting consistent colour,” he mudded.
“For this job we used a barrow and a larry, ensuring the sand and cement were properly mixed before adding the water.
“The Cement Australia Off White Cement is a great product to use. It mixed up really well and produced a fluffy consistency that had a great amount of stick.
“All my boys enjoyed using it. It was great to work with as a mortar, and when pointing it wasn’t too hard on the wrists or hands.
“The product was probably one of the best off-white cements we have used.”
TEST #2: COLOUR
At the end of the day it’s about having happy clients who love the look of the work. The off-white cement starts off looking much darker than its eventual colour, then, as it dries, lightens up substantially.
“Natural sandstone can range from many warm, natural shades right through to purples,” masoned Blake. “We saw that in some parts of this job. With our special mix of various types of sand to achieve the exact look we were going for, the off-white/beige look we achieved complimented the natural stone beautifully. It doesn’t compete with the colour of the stone, it just sets it off.
“The Cement Australia Off White was an excellent product for us to use on this job, and both the builder and the client are over the moon with what we’ve produced.” said Blake.
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
Colour and consistency are the name of the game for any render and mortar, and the Cement Australia Off White Cement has delivered both on this impressive job.
From the ease of mixing, great consistency and workability of the product, right through to the end look and feel of the job, the product was first class. Great feedback from highquality masons like Blake and his team from Northern Beaches Stone makes it pretty safe to say the team at Cement Australia is nailing its range of products.
Cement Australia has a wide range of both cement and pre-packaged products, oxides and additives. Be sure to check them out for your next project.
Visit: www.cementaustralia.com.au