Getting new bricks to colour match existing bricks

[OhPinchy]

I’m building an extension onto the side of my house and need to get bricks that match the bricks on the front of the existing house. The existing bricks have been painted but I’m going to restore them back to their original colour using a special acid I bought from the UK. The bricks wrap around so that there are some bricks on the side wall. This wall and these bricks will be covered with slabs as it will be an internal wall in the extension.

I’m thinking of taking a big chip off one of the bricks on the side of the house so that I can take a bit and use it for matching the original colour (I’ll go deeper than the paint has penetrated). Will the internal colour of the brick match what its original surface colour would have been?

Where should I bring the brick sample to match it to a new brick? Are there any companies (suggestions appreciated) with brick colour charts like for paint for example?

Worst case would be I get as close a match as possible for the extension but the existing bricks never come back to this colour. Would it be viable to paint the existing bricks to match the new bricks in this scenario (rationale being they’re painted already so it can’t get worse)? Also, whats the standard ballpark price for a coloured brick these days?

 

[Sue Ellen]

Hi OhPinchy,

I'm positive that a house near my mother's used the bricks from the side wall of the house to front the extension but how they did this is beyond me. It was a long time ago but even then I can't see how they removed the bricks, cleaned them (time consuming) and reused them? Anyone else ever hear of this?

 

[tradesmen]

have you tried the acid yet, did it do the job for you? how old is the house? Reason: i presume it is an old house so bricks will not be in production. if it is a newer house 5-10 yrs, you could find the builders and get the name of the bricks used. builders merchants will have brick brochures and will give you a sample of a brick / s to take home with you to get something near to what you have.

 

[bacchus]

Went throught a similar exercice a while ago.
I sent a photo of my house by email to Country Manor Brick http://www.cmb.ie/ and they came back to me with the name of the 2 bricks used... I then went there to check with "samples" and they were 100% right.

I have found then very professional and very nice people to deal with, even though i was buying a small quantity of bricks.