The brick entry arch of the Rochester Hills house in 2021, one range of red brick from the pier to the wall beside it
Case File 409

Staining the Wrong Brick to Match the Right One in Rochester Hills

Two different brick were shipped to this house by mistake and the homeowner rejected the wall. The brick manufacturer paid to have the wrong brick stained to match the right one rather than torn off. It was photographed again thirteen years later and certified then.

Case No. 409
Structure Two-story home
Location Rochester Hills, Michigan
Stained 2008
Re-photographed 2021
Elapsed 13 years, Silver level

2008

  1. Looking up at the entry arch before staining, the brick a variegated mix of pink, red and purple grey under two cream corbels and a gable, with a burned-in camera date of 09/20/2007 Before View this photo larger
  2. The gabled entry after staining, the arch, the pier and the wall beside them in one darker red range, cream corbels above and a herringbone brick panel under the left window After View this photo larger

What was wrong

Two types of brick were shipped to the job and the wall went up with both in it. The file records the homeowner as very upset with everyone in the chain and wanting the brick torn off and laid again with the right one.

What was done

The brick manufacturer hired the correction. A few brick were stained as a sample, and on the strength of that the homeowner let the work go ahead. The wrong brick were then stained to match the right one. The form dates the job 2008; the camera stamp on both period frames reads 09/20/2007.

2021, thirteen years on

  1. The entry arch in 2021 with snow on the roof beyond, red brick from the gable down the pier in one range around the arched transom window, with the certification stamp in the corner After, 2021 View this photo larger

What thirteen years prove

The arch, the pier and the wall beside it read as one range in the 2021 frame, with the certification stamp on it. On the certification scale that is Silver, ten years and over. As of 2026 the work is eighteen years old, and the 2021 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 409, 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 409, filled in and signed View the signed form full size
Project name
Rochester Hills MI (2008)
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 brick manufacturer
Reason for project
Complaint or problem
Issue
"Two different types of brick were mistakenly shipped to this job. The brick was rejected by a very upset homeowner."
What was corrected
"We stained the wrong brick to closely match the right color."
Storyline
"The homeowner was upset at the builder, mason, dealer and brick manufacturer. They wanted the brick torn off their house and redone with the right brick. After we stained a few brick for an example, the homeowner agreed to let us do our work. It was the right choice! It still looks great today."
Authorized
Donald A. Foster, signed, dated 2021
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