The long side of the church in 2019, the second story brick one range with the original walls below it
Case File 156

Matching a Second Story Addition on a Pennsylvania Church

This church added a second story, and even the closest brick available did not match the building below it. The addition was stained in 2004, along with some of the entrances. It was photographed again fifteen years later and certified Gold.

Case No. 156
Structure Church, two-story addition
Location Pennsylvania
Stained 2004
Re-photographed 2019
Elapsed 15 years, Gold level

2004

  1. The upper corner of the church in 2004 before staining, the brick of the added second story reading lighter and flatter than the courses below the window line, pointed arch windows on both elevations Before, 2004 View this photo larger
  2. Three pointed arch windows on the second story in 2004, the brick around them reading lighter than the original wall below, with sun glare at the top of the frame Before, 2004 View this photo larger
  3. A blue articulating lift raised to the top corner of the second story in 2004, its basket against the parapet while the upper courses are stained During, 2004 View this photo larger
  4. Two extension ladders standing against the second story wall either side of a pointed arch window in 2004, play equipment on the ground below During, 2004 View this photo larger
  5. A rectangular test panel marked out on the second story brick beside a grey door in 2004, the area inside the outline reading a shade apart from the wall around it During, 2004 View this photo larger
  6. A single story entrance wing in 2004, its brick a dark variegated red with a stone plaque set in the wall, a canopied doorway at the left and shrubs along the base During, 2004 View this photo larger
  7. The same entrance wing later in 2004, the brick reading one even range from the canopy to the far corner, the stone plaque still in the wall After, 2004 View this photo larger

What was wrong

The cause on the form is an addition, not a complaint. The closest brick available was laid, and it still read noticeably off color against the original walls, one range sitting on another. The church itself hired the correction.

What was done

A test panel first. A translucent stain keeps the tone variation of the brick, so the panel is what proves the custom blend before the walls are touched, or sends it back for a different mix. Then every brick on the second story, from a lift and from ladders, plus some of the entrances.

2019, fifteen years on

  1. The long side of the church in 2019, two stories of red brick under a flat roof with pointed arch windows along the upper floor, a steeple behind and a white fenced play yard at the corner After, 2019 View this photo larger
  2. The upper corner of the church in 2019, the second story brick one range with the courses below it, pointed arch windows on both elevations After, 2019 View this photo larger
  3. Looking up at the corner of the church in 2019, a lower wing in the foreground and the second story rising behind it, all one range of red brick After, 2019 View this photo larger
  4. The same three pointed arch windows in 2019, the brick above and below them one range, with a shrub against the ground floor windows After, 2019 View this photo larger
  5. Two pointed arch windows on the second story in 2019 with paper decorations in the glass, the brick one even range, play equipment and a basketball hoop below After, 2019 View this photo larger

What fifteen years prove

No fading, blistering, cracking or flaking after fifteen years, in the file's own words, and the stained brick has held up as well as the unstained brick. Gold on the certification scale covers fifteen years and over. As of 2026 the work is twenty-two 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 156, transcribed beside the form so it can be read on a phone and by a search engine.

The case study form for case 156, filled in and signed View the signed form full size
Project name
Church, Pennsylvania (2004)
Level
Gold. 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
Business or corporation
Reason for project
Addition or makeover
Background
"When this church built a second story, the brick on the expansion did not match the original building."
Actions taken
"We stained 100% of the brick on the second story, and also stained some entrances."
Detail of events
"What a project! They had the closest match they could find, but it wasn't close enough, so we were called in. The brick stained in 2004 have held up just as well as the unstained brick!"
Authorized
Donald A. Foster, signed, dated 2020
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