The long brick side of an Ohio church in 2019, its bell tower and arched window range reading as one even buff wall
Case File 193

Blending a Few Light Brick on an Ohio Church Wall

A few brick on this church came out lighter than the wall they sat in. The company that made the brick paid to have them blended rather than torn off. It was photographed again nine years later and certified then.

Case No. 193
Structure Church
Location Ohio
Stained 2010
Re-photographed 2019
Elapsed 9 years, Bronze level

2010

  1. A curved brick wall meeting a flat one at an outside corner, the pale brick running unbroken past two louvred vents During, 2010 View this photo larger
  2. An outside corner of the church in 2010, warm tan brick above a concrete base with bare graded ground at the footing During, 2010 View this photo larger

What was wrong

Nothing had failed and nothing was dirty. A few of the brick came out lighter than the ones around them, which on a wall this long is the only thing anyone sees. The file puts the issue in one line: we needed to darken a few light brick to create a better blend.

It was hired by the brick manufacturer, not the owner and not the mason. A brick company decided the color of a finished building it had supplied was its own problem, and paid for staining over tear-out.

What was done

Mineral stain, brushed on by hand, unit by unit, and in both directions: the file records that we darkened and lightened a few areas of the building. Not one color over the wall, which is why the finished elevation still reads as brick rather than as a coating.

2019, nine years on

  1. The long side of the church in 2019 seen from across its parking lot, the bell tower, arched gable end and window range all in one even buff brick 2019 View this photo larger
  2. A side entrance below three round windows set in radiating brick arches, the wall carrying on up to the tower beside it 2019 View this photo larger
  3. The bell tower seen from its base against a deep blue sky, the brick coursing unbroken to the top beside a tall arched window 2019 View this photo larger
  4. Close view of the buff brick in 2019, the units sitting in one narrow range of tans with pale mortar joints 9 Years After View this photo larger

What nine years prove

Same walls, and a blend that is the blend it was mixed to. On the certification scale that is Bronze, which covers seven to nine years. As of 2026 the work is sixteen years old, and the 2019 certification is the most recent record on it.

The signed file

Every certified job gets the same form, signed on the day someone goes back to the building. This is the one for case 193, transcribed beside the scan so it can be read on a phone and by a search engine.

Scan of the case study form for case 193, filled in and signed View the signed form full size
Project name
Church in Ohio (2010)
Level
Bronze. The scale runs Bronze at seven to nine years, Silver at ten and over, Gold at fifteen and over, Platinum at twenty and over.
Hired by
The brick manufacturer
Reason for project
Complaint or problem
Issue
"We needed to darken a few light brick to create a better blend."
What was corrected
"We darkened and lightened a few areas of the building."
Storyline
"If you see the test pannel (to the right of the blue tape), you cannot tell we stained any of the brick! They all look natural!"
Address
"Permission needed to release address"
Authorized
Donald A. Foster, signed, dated 2019
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