The front gable of the Michigan house in 2019, a metal compass rose mounted on tan brick that reads as one range under the roofline
Case File 146

Darkening Light Brick to Even a Michigan Home Wall

The brick on this two-story house went up blotchy, with light units scattered through the walls. The brick manufacturer paid to have the light brick darkened to the rest. It was photographed again in 2019 and certified Gold the year after.

Case No. 146
Structure Two-story house
Location Michigan
Stained June 2005
Re-photographed 2019
Elapsed 14 years, Gold level

2005

  1. The side wall of the house in 2005 before staining, pale brick in blotchy patches across the wall between a juniper at the left and a red-leaved maple at the right Before, 2005 View this photo larger
  2. The same side wall in 2005 after staining, tan brick reading as one range from the eave to the shrubs, with a downspout at the right corner After, 2005 View this photo larger
  3. The front gable in 2005 before staining, a shuttered arched window under the gable with light and dark brick scattered unevenly across the face and a van in the drive at the right Before, 2005 View this photo larger
  4. The front gable in 2005 after staining, the brick around the shuttered arched window reading as one tan range, with the camera date 6 10 05 burned into the corner After, 2005 View this photo larger

What was wrong

The file's word is blotchy: light units sat through the walls in patches and every elevation read uneven. Nothing had failed. The brick manufacturer hired the correction, not the homeowners.

What was done

The light brick was darkened to the rest with a custom blend and the walls levelled out. The stain is translucent and absorbed into the unit, so the change is in the brick, not on it.

2019, fourteen years on

  1. The front gable in 2019 at close range, a metal compass rose mounted on tan brick above the arched window head, the brick one range to the roofline After, 2019 View this photo larger
  2. The front of the house in 2019 from the lawn, three stacked gables in tan brick and cream siding, the compass rose on the nearest gable above a shuttered door After, 2019 View this photo larger
  3. The side wall in 2019 under the shade of a tree, tan brick running one range from the eave down to the shrubs After, 2019 View this photo larger

What fourteen years prove

One range across the gable and the side wall in 2019, the darkened units not separable from the rest. The file's own note: almost fifteen years later and you still can't tell the difference between the stained and unstained brick. Gold on the certification scale, which starts at fifteen years; the form is signed in 2020. As of 2026 the work is twenty-one years old.

The signed file

This is the form for case 146, signed on the revisit and transcribed beside it so a phone and a search engine can read it.

The case study form for case 146, filled in and signed View the signed form full size
Project name
Residence, Michigan (2005)
Sentence served
Gold. The scale runs Bronze at seven years and over, Silver at ten and over, Gold at fifteen and over, Platinum at twenty and over.
Hired by
The brick manufacturer
Cause
Complaint or problem
Background
"The brick on this home was blotchy and uneven."
Actions taken
"We leveled out the walls by darkening the light brick."
Detail of events
"The homeowners were unhappy with the uneven look on their house. We darkened all the light brick, and it still looks great today!"
Authorized
Donald A. Foster, signed, dated 2020
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