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I need a straight answer and a lead on a supplier of mortor for glass blocks. I’ve got an exterior, framed panel of blocks and an abutting interior, free-standing panel that will be a bathroom shower wall. Do glass blocks require a specially formulated product, or will thin set mortor and grout do the job?
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Greg, I have used regular mortar for glass block and at times have subsituted fine silica sand for the sand mix. It can be laid just like block or brick.
Two years ago I tried a shim and silicone caulk kit that worked slick on a couple of basement window openings. With that you lay block with shim/spacers for the entire area and caulk using a silicone caulk, on both sides of the block.
I would check with your local supplyer to what what they reccommend.
walk good david
*A supplier once told me that you need to use the actual "glass block mortar mix" due to the factor of glass block being not porous at all like brick is and therefore requiring a totally different drying condition, etc. I don't know if this was just bunk or not but he sure convinced me. I actually shied away from using any sort of mortar because of that and have only ever used the silicone caulk system.
*You can use standard mortar, there are two things to be careful of though. 1. The glass does not absorb water the way brick does, so your mortar should be just a little stiffer.2. Again, due to less absorption, the wall take longer to gain strength. Do not try and build the whole wall as fast as you would with masonry. Depending on the size of wall, I would build 4-6 courses, let them set up and then build the next set of courses. Don't forget the metal ties either!For the interior part of the wall, you may want to consider a grout treatment on the dried and cured joints to keep them clean, especially if it will be in the shower stall.
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I need a straight answer and a lead on a supplier of mortor for glass blocks. I've got an exterior, framed panel of blocks and an abutting interior, free-standing panel that will be a bathroom shower wall. Do glass blocks require a specially formulated product, or will thin set mortor and grout do the job?