How can I stop the cement going really dry on my new brick bbq?

Question

I have recently built a brick bbq and the cement/sand between the brick has gone really dry and a very light grey colour - nothing like the colour of the cement between the bricks on my house. I think it may be because I have too much cement in the sand to cement ratio, which is approx 3:1 respectively. Can you help?

Answer 1

probably the house builder added a colorant to the mortar, which makes it darker.  You can actually stain the dry cement on your BBQ (with wood stain) or add a matte sealer, which will darken it some.

Answer 2

It takes awhile for cement to cure completely but it really is hard to get colors to match especially if there is an age difference between the house and grill. Aged cement will always be a different shade than new cement. The sand used can affect the color as well as water and mortar mix. A concrete stain can be used to give a different color. There are stains for dry and stains for wet concrete so watch what you buy.