eeFor one reason or another, brick walls need to be repaired, replaced or extended every so often. Finding bricks to match those used in the original structure is, obviously, desirable, as otherwise the finished result looks unprofessional. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to do this.
So, why is brick matching not an easy task? First and foremost, bricks are made from clay, and the clay deposit that the brick came from can become depleted and / or the characteristics of the clay may change as the mining pit is extended. The other reason is that the original style of brick used may have ‘gone out of fashion’, so to speak, and has been discontinued. Brick styles change over time, just like styles of interior design do.
It is possible that you may get lucky and find perfectly matching bricks at your local brick merchant. It is unlikely that they will have what you want though. Hopefully, one day there will be a national database of brick colors and textures but, for the time being there is not, so you will have to do some investigative work.
Taking some high resolution photos of the original bricks should be the first thing that you do. Email these photos to brick merchants in your city and neighboring cities, and ask them if they can match them for you. Give them as much detail as you can about the originals, such as the year they were bought, where they were bought from, dimensions, etc.
If perfect brick matching is not an option, then a color match is the next best thing. Try to find bricks that are very close, if not identical, in color. Matching bricks by color is much preferable to matching bricks by texture. Texture differences in bricks can be seen up close, but not from a distance.
Do not rush the brick matching process. Take your time and get some samples that you can take back to your home. Up close, you will, of course, always be able to see some differences; what is important is how visible differences are from a distance of over 10 feet. Ask for a second, and even a third, opinion too.
Remember to also spend some time ensuring that the mortar that keeps the bricks together matches too. Examine the sand particles in the existing mortar; paying attention to the size and color of them. Getting the right sand is not overly difficult, but you will then need to prematurely age it. To age the mortar, you will need to use a brick cleaning chemical.
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