Can't find what you're looking for? We're adding more products everyday. Contact your local Elliotts branch team for more information.

How to match existing bricks

The most common reason for requiring a brick match is usually for domestic home extensions.

According to national statistics from the Department of Levelling up, Housing & Communities, 210,000 decisions were made on applications for householder developments, with 90% being granted, in the year 2022/2023*

Matching new bricks to existing ones ensures that the extension blends seamlessly, maintaining the overall look of the building.

Mismatched bricks will stick out like a sore thumb, disrupting the aesthetic charm and possibly devaluing the property. Consistency in colour, texture, and size keeps things looking cohesive and pleasing to the eye.

When do existing bricks need to be matched?

As well as matching bricks to existing buildings for extensions, they may also need to be matched to fix poor brick work or for new development sites.

1. Alterations

Not as time intensive or expensive as an extensions, home alterations, such as moving doors, windows, garage doors etc. Will require closely matching bricks to match into the existing brick work.

2. Poor quality brick work

If brick work has been completed that doesn’t match the existing brickwork, steps may need to be taken to replace or improve the colour quality of the bricks.

3. Development sites

Although there are no existing buildings on new development sites, a brick match may still need to happen to ensure that new properties match the colours and textures of bricks within the region. This ensures that the development fits in the area it’s being built in, preventing a clash against existing neighbourhoods.

“Certain councils will also have planning limits. Locally, New Forest council will want to sign off the type of brick being used."

“This is something we’ve had experience of, and we can provide samples to satisfy local planning authorities.”

Sam Bull, Brick Sales at Elliotts

How hard is it to match existing bricks?

How hard it is to match existing bricks will depend on the type of house and when it was constructed.

Most houses built after 1940 will use metric bricks and these will be easier to match. House built pre-1940 will have used imperial bricks which have different dimensions to modern day bricks, and these can be trickier to match.

Over time many smaller brickworks have closed down, so sometimes it will be impossible to get and exact match. However, most of the time a very close match can be found. In cases where the brick works are still running, we can get very close matches.

“Homes and buildings in Hampshire and the surrounding areas are predominantly built in red stock bricks or LBCs, but there are plenty of weird and wonderful bricks we can help match in”, says Sam.

Sam and our bricks team has experience dealing with old bricks and finding best matches.

How do you match existing bricks?

Brick matching service

The best way to match existing bricks is to through a professional brick matching service. This will help specially trained experts identify the closest match to your brick.

“I’ve completed thousands of brick matches in my 10 years of being a brick specialist. From new developments through to matching bricks for period homes, there’s not a brick that’s stumped me yet”, say Sam.

Elliotts offers a quick and FREE brick matching service with free samples sent out to you once we’ve identified your brick.

Request a free brick match

Brick tinting

In some cases, you may need to have your bricks tinted to achieve the right colour. Brick tinting is usually a last resort and is normally suggested when:

1. Needing to fix mismatched bricks

If you’ve already had brick work completed but it doesn’t quite match the colour of the surrounding facing brick, then tinting would be the best way to resolve this. This is more likely to happen when bricking up gaps left by doors and windows.

2. A good quality brick match is not possible

In rare cases, if a brick is quite unique, it can sometimes be too hard to get a close match. In cases like these, we would find the closest brick match possible and then arrange tinting to get the exact colour.

We offer a FREE brick matching service!

No need to visit us, we can match your bricks with just a few quick details
We’ll review your bricks and provide a match within 48 hours
A free sample will be sent to you to check against your existing brick work
When you’re ready, we’ll arrange for your brick delivery to be sent direct to site

Our brick matching service is free to all, whether you’re a trade or homeowner, and there is no obligation to purchase.

Match my bricks

Document