How Do I Match Old Brick?

Q.  I’m thinking of adding a room addition to my house, but how can I match the existing brick?

A.  A brick’s color comes primarily from the clay that composes it, as well as any added compounds, combined with its firing temperature and any surface treatments. Because brick is made of naturally occurring materials, brick color will vary among geographic areas. Unfortunately, there’s not a national database of brick colors. To find a match, contact a local brick distributor who represents a wide variety of manufacturers; he or she will probably be able to match your brick if it is still manufactured. You may not find a perfect match, but a good brick salesman will know which brick in his stock comes closest. You can also visit www.gobrick.com for a list of brick manufacturers, or search local distributors in the Yellow Pages under “Brick.”