Overheard a GC quote from 2019 that still bugs me about mortar color

I was at a supply yard in Tulsa last Wednesday and heard this GC tell a homeowner that "color doesn't matter once it's up," talking about mortar. That is SO wrong. I did a rehab job in Broken Arrow two summers ago where the homeowner picked a tan mortar, we laid it, and after it dried it looked PINK next to the red brick. We had to grind out every joint and redo it, cost them an extra $1,400. Color absolutely matters, especially with anything not plain red. Has anyone else dealt with a spec that looked fine in the bucket but totally different on the wall? How do you test it before committing?

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colescott3d ago

Read a thread on a mason forum where a guy swears by mixing a small test batch and letting it cure for at least 48 hours before you touch a wall. That pink mortar story is a perfect example, color in the bag is a straight up liar.