am i being too fussy ?

[hilary tills]

Hi , we built pond number 3 last summer. Hubby used blocks which he rendered and the then had it fibre glasses. He then built a buff wall around the pond and filters to finish what I had hoped was our last koi pond.
We used pitched buff blocks which are a marshalls product. In March we noticed a few of the blocks had developed marks and indents on them. When you touched the marks they were soft and dry. These marks are very noticeable although out of around 300 blocks only about 5-6 have this fault which are spread over 3 walls.
To sort this problem out a bricklayer has said it would be 2 days work to take out and replace the damaged blocks.I think we would have to take the no I out while all this was going on ?
Anyway, I contacted marshalls and they basically have said it doesn't have anything to do with the strength of the blocks as its a dry balling problem ? Offered us £50.00 ! Which of course is nowhere near enough to cover the cost to put this right. They said it's just cosmetic and nothing to worry about.
Am I being fussy ? Surely if you buy decorative blocks they should be nice to look at ? Not have ugly marks on them ? Any suggestions on how we can cover these or have we no option but to pay out and go back to rebuilding ?
Thanks for taking the time to read .

Regards hilary

 

[sissy]

That first one is really ugly .Is there a patch they can do or is it flaking to the point that it will get bigger .Sometimes cement when mixed improperly can do that .We have a company here that makes concrete block and there bad batches they sell cheap with no warranty on them .Some are just cosmetic but some continue to flake and pit .I usually poke at them for awhile if the continue to fall apart then I pass them up .

 

[Sunshine]

The whole setting is gorgeous. Love that area. Half of our back yard is patio. There are imperfections as we did all the work ourselves. They don't bother me, but I know for some it would drive them nuts. If it really bothers you, maybe you could get some cement stain and match the color.

 

[Priscilla]

I love the setting as well. I normally get worked up over things like this, but in the long run, is it really worth all the work for 5 bricks? Take the $50 and buy some new fish. Lol! In 6 months all the bricks will start to change color and fade in the sun, you won't even notice it any more and certainly your friends won't.

That's my thought. BUT I know how you feel, and I would probably feel the same way, but in the long run, its not worth it to redo all that you need to for 5 bricks.

 

[Dave 54]

Beautiful setting rather than go to the exppence of a builder why not just disguise these blemishes with small potted bushes which will add to the beauty of your pond and its setting.
The problem with re laying those bricks would cause even more of a blemish when you find that the builder cannot match the cement hue already holding the wall together when your bricks weather some I doubt you'll even notice these blemishes

Dave

 

[hilary tills]

Thank you for your replies . I think I am more upset at the makers " marshalls" to be honest .they seem to feel that as it only affects the look of the blocks I should not be too concerned .but surely that is the point of decorative walling ? So it's nice to look at ? My garden is full of plants in the summer and some can have pots put in front of them .I am worried more will developer tho .not sure what to do now ! I think I will try to cover them if we can and maybe in time they won't bother me so much . Thanks again x

 

[Waterbug]

Get a little paint, latex or enamel, and kind of match the color. Dab a little on the discolored area with your finger, no paint brush, Q-Tip is OK, just the discolored area...just dab a bit, not completely coat it, like with makeup you don't want 100% coverage, you want some of the discolored to come thru. Just go slow, see how it dries, and do a little more if you need. I like to have some darker brown and some white so I can mix it on the spot, just a little with my finger on the paint can top. Then I can do multiple shades. Bob's your uncle, you won't even be able to tell where the blemishes are. It's like magic.

I think it's pretty impressive they offered you some money. I'm glad you didn't have a mason replace the bricks because you probably would have seen the different joints and then you really would have been unhappy.

 

[Nepen]

I have to agree with others. The cement use to hold the bricks together can be different color even though you buy it from the same brand, just different time, then you will have a lot more noticeable fault to look at.

bricks change color over time, so it'll be less noticeable. I like waterbug's idea

 

[dieselplower]

Rub some dirt on it, it will blend right in

 

[Waterbug]

Paint lasts.