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?

4 comments

4 Comments

claire_ross612mo 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.

kevint472mo 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.

rowanw916d ago

Tbh, you mentioned the bricks from 1923, and that actually brings up something nobody's talking about. Those old bricks might have lead or other stuff in the glaze that modern stuff doesn't. If you're trying to match them, you might be dealing with different materials entirely.

cora8132mo ago

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