The brick piers and base of the community center entrance in 2021, one even red range around green framed glazing
Case File 105

Blending Restoration Brick on an Ohio Community Center

Restoration work had left this community center with off color brick on every wall. The mason who did the work had the walls stained in 2011 so they would blend together. Photographed again ten years later and certified Silver.

Case No. 105
Structure Community center
Location Ohio
Stained September 2011
Re-photographed 2021
Elapsed 10 years, Silver level

2011

  1. The main entrance in 2011 before staining, the two brick piers beside the double doors dark and mottled against the plain red brick of the base and the wall to the right, with a camera date stamp in the corner Before, 2011 View this photo larger
  2. A recessed vestibule in 2011 with a green framed door propped open, the new brick around it dark and patchy against the older red brick and a grey block wall to the right, camera dated 09/19/2011 Before, 2011 View this photo larger
  3. Two applicators in hard hats on a scissor lift in 2011 brushing stain onto a wall, the courses above and left of them still dark and the courses they have finished already red During, 2011 View this photo larger
  4. The same recessed vestibule in 2011 after staining, the brick around the door one even red with an extension ladder leaning against the wall After, 2011 View this photo larger
  5. The top of a low wall in 2011, a band of bare poured concrete running under the coping above courses of dark off color brick, with a railing and the building behind Before, 2011 View this photo larger
  6. A close view of the poured concrete band in 2011 part way through staining, brick outlines and joints being worked into its surface beside an extension ladder During, 2011 View this photo larger

What was wrong

The file's own words: off colored brick everywhere, a restoration company nightmare. New brick stood out dark and mottled against the older red, and the poured concrete caps on the low walls stood out too. The mason or contractor hired the correction.

What was done

Major color staining, a brick at a time, to have all the walls blend together. The file calls it pretty much an entire makeover. On the concrete caps the crew stained in the appearance of laid brick and mortar joints, not knowing how long stain would hold on concrete.

2021, ten years on

  1. The main entrance in 2021, both brick piers and the base one even red range around the green framed glazing and double doors, with bare trees and a flagpole reflected in the glass 2021 View this photo larger
  2. The front of the community center in 2021 under snow, a long red brick elevation with tall green framed windows, a flagpole and steps with green railings up to the entrance After, 2021 View this photo larger
  3. The top of the low wall in 2021 under a green railing, the former concrete band carrying brick outlines and joints that run on from the courses below it 10 Years After View this photo larger

What ten years prove

The concrete caps still read as brick. The revisit included a water test on a stained wall, and the file records the stain getting wet the same as unstained brick. On the certification scale that is Silver, ten years and over. As of 2026 the work is fifteen years old, and the 2021 certification is the most recent record on it.

The signed file

Every certified job gets the same form, signed when someone goes back to the building. This is the one for case 105, transcribed beside the form so it can be read on a phone and by a search engine.

The case study form for case 105, filled in and signed, rendered from the case file booklet View the signed form full size
Project name
Community Center, OH (2011)
Level
Silver. 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 mason or contractor
Reason for project
Color change
Background
"Off-colored brick everywhere, a restoration company nightmare!"
Actions taken
"Major color staining to have all the walls blend together."
Detail of events
"This pretty much ended up being a entire makeover with all the off-colored restoration work. Still looks great 10 years later!"
Booklet notes
"We stained each brick individually for basically a complete makeover." "To help the poured concrete areas blend with the brick, we stained in the appearance of both mortar joints and laid brick. Not being a typical task, we didn't know how long our stain would last on concrete. We've kept an eye on it over the years, and it still looks pretty good 10 years later!" "We performed a water test to show that our proven masonry stain will get wet the same as unstained brick even after all these years."
Authorized
Donald A. Foster, signed, dated 2020
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