Pink sand!

[Spamlet]

Perhaps regulars here may have more info as to the extent of the 'all sand is pink' phenomenon that seems to have hit our local B&Q (Luton). Luckily, the mixed ballast and sand is still normal coloured, but the sand currently on offer is all quite a dark shade of pink. OK for Devon, but decidedly out of place in Bedfordshire - with it's numerous yellow, and white, sand pits!

Whatever happened to consumer choice, and why lug it all the way from (presumably) Devon, when we have acres of the stuff just up the road?

Curious,

S

[Graham.]

Maybe for the same reason that the supermarket shelves here in Manchester carry the same water softening products as those in London. Uniformity of distribution.

[Rod]

Obviously going after the gay pound. :-)

Should try building in Alum Bay.

Does anyone know of a map of sand colours across the UK? Last sand I bought - greyish, lot before - quite orange. Luckily, for non-visible use.

[Spamlet]

I think my mum or sister still has some of the little glass lighthouses we filled up with stripes, from Alum Bay , as kids. We never did work out where the ones in the gift shops got the green... Probably Bedfordshire!

;-)

S

[The Medway Handyman]

I tend to buy Hanson pre mix mortar from B&Q because its ready to use & available in small bags, which suits the sort of jobs I do. Downside is the colour - which is extreemly pink - must use the same sand.

I bought some Wickes mortar the other day for a slightly bigger job, where you had a bag of cement inside a bigger bag of sand. Much better colour, but also seemed much better mortar in the way it stuck.

[Rod]

Funnily enough, I have recently tried the LaFarge readymix and found it was quite nice to use. (The mix claims to contain lime - as well as sand and cement.) When I made my own using Wickes sand, it just did not get the right texture - depsite using cement with additives. Mind, both were fine for the undemanding tasks.