Spent a whole day trying to match a 100-year-old brick for a repair

Got a call to patch a small section of a foundation on an old house in the historic district. The homeowner had a few of the original bricks from 1923. Thought it would be a quick trip to the yard, but nothing modern came close to the color and texture. I must have called six different suppliers across three counties. Finally found a place that does custom reclaims, but they needed a sample to match. The whole thing, from first look to having the right bricks in hand, took almost two weeks. Anyone else have a go-to source for matching really old stock?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_ross6112d ago

You said you had a few of the original bricks from 1923. That's lucky, but honestly, a sample brick is the bare minimum for a proper match. Color is just one part. They need to see the size, the texture, the little pits and grooves. A photo on your phone never shows that stuff right. That custom reclaimer probably saved you from a patch that would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Good call going to them, even with the wait.

kevint4712d ago

Totally agree with what @claire_ross61 said about needing the actual brick. Brought a chunk of my old foundation to a local yard and they sorted the texture perfectly. Waiting on the right match beats having a weird looking wall forever.

cora81312d ago

It's just a foundation patch. Most people would never notice a slight color difference.