Anyone have their bricks dyed a different color?

Bob_Skurka · Jun 3, 2005

HELP . . . my contractor who is building my new garage/shop can not find bricks to match my 10 year old house.

The bricks on my house are mottled tans and browns and the contractor, brick layer and even one of the large brick yards in the area have been scratching their heads trying to match the brick. So far the contractor has been to 6 different brick yards and has not come up with a match.

He is now suggesting dying the brick to match.

He suggests using this company : Nawkaw Brick Dying

Anyone have any clue about this? Does it work? Does it last? Is it any good?

Picture of my covered patio pillars that show the brick I need to match

Golfgar4 · Jun 3, 2005

Bob,

I'm surprised you're having trouble matching that brick that's on your columns. It looks to be a rather standard color.

Is the contractor that you're using the same one that built your place 10 years ago? If not, can you find out where the previous contractor purchased the brick?

I've not had any experience with dying bricks, but I would think that, because of the variety of colors that are present on your columns, that would be quite an involved job. From what I saw, the dying of the bricks by that outfit you linked to appears to be a solid dye, almost like painting. I would think that you'd lose the "porous" look/feel of the bricks, wouldn't you?

Is the new building going to be so close to the existing building that a slight difference in the colors/tones of the bricks will be that noticeable?

You've probably already thought of all these things, but I thought I'd just throw them out there to help get the creative juices flowing! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

billbill1 · Jun 3, 2005

Bob, beautiful place!!!! Sorry, I can't help with the brick. How bout some pictures of the shirts?

Bob_Skurka · Jun 3, 2005

The original contractor who built my house is no longer in business. The local brick yard supplied the original bricks. They have actually come to the house to match the bricks.

We can find a tan brick that matches the original tan brick in color, although the texture is slightly different. It is the dark chocolate brick that is giving us fits. Nobody can find that color or texture. I'm pretty much at a loss, the original bricks were just standard bricks, the mix was a standard mix.

As to the brick dying company, if you take the time to seach their site (not that I would expect you to do that) they do show many examples of matching up mixed color brick patterns (similar to my pattern but different colors) with their dye technique.

Bill . . . I have resisted posting photos of my shirts largely because I know that Garry wants to copy my style and this is my little way of keeping my originality in tact.

Golfgar4 · Jun 3, 2005

( I have resisted posting photos of my shirts largely because I know that Garry wants to copy my style and this is my little way of keeping my originality in tact.
)

Copy!?!?!?!?!? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

No, No, No!!!

Emulate. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Bob_Skurka · Jun 3, 2005

Emulate /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Sorry Garry, but I have my own original style. Besides, if you do make the feeble attempt of emulating me, and missing 'the look' by just a little bit, you will be the butt of your wife's jokes for many years to come.

Golfgar4 · Jun 3, 2005

( you will be the butt of your wife's jokes for many years to come.
)

And your point is? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Bob_Skurka · Jun 3, 2005

( you will be the butt of your wife's jokes for many years to come.)
 
And your point is?


Well I guess I momentarily forgot that all wives attend some secret school to learn how to give us grief. If I ever find that school . . . but hey, you are a moderator, why don't you use your mystical moderator powers and get this thread back on topic!!! Or are you waiting for Junkman to show up so you can just shut it down?

Golfgar4 · Jun 3, 2005

( why don't you use your mystical moderator powers and get this thread back on topic!!! )

Yeah, sorry about that! We did stray a bit, didn't we? Well what the heck, it's Friday!

O.K. We need to get this back on topic so that we can help you solve your problem.

Here's a incantation that should do the trick.....

MAY THE BLUEBIRD OF HAPPINESS LAND ON YOUR MULTI COLORED BRICKS AND REPLACE THOSE THAT YOU LOST FROM YOUR FULL LOAD.

/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Golfgar4 · Jun 3, 2005

Hmmmm......

Maybe that Bluebird just landed! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Just had a call from my wife, and I had a chance to discuss your situation with her.

First, she said don't feel too badly. This apparently happens all of the time. That's a lot of consolation, isn't it? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Her first suggestion is to reduce the amount of brick used in the new building by having more siding or other material in lieu of using all brick. This would minimize the color differences in the new brick as compared to the old brick.

I suggested that that was NOT an option.

O.K. Her next suggestion was to contact Benson Stone Co. in Rockford. She said she's had better luck with finding hard to match pieces through them than most anywhere else. Here's a link for you to look at. Benson Stone .

She said you'd need to take a sample of the bricks that you want to match to the company so they could see it. I can tell you this, it'd be worth going up there just to see the place. It's huge! They have beautiful showrooms, a really good cafe, and they have to drive you around in golf carts (I like that part! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif) just to take you around to see all the stock they have.

She explained that all brick yards basically get their brick from one of 4 manufacturers in the country. If you could somehow find out the name of the brick you want to match, one of your local brick yards should be able to contact any of the 4 manufacturers to see if they can locate a retailer that might have that kind of brick. Neither you nor your contractor can contact the manufacturers directly. You'll have to go through a brick yard.

I was surprised to hear that she's never had a client that used the dye method of changing colors of bricks, so she could not offer any assistance there.

I hope some of this helps, Bob. Good luck. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif