HGTV Star Sherry Holmes Has An Easy Trick For Matching Old Brick

If you've ever needed to match up two types of brick during a renovation but are struggling to make the area look uniform, the Holmes family has you covered. In Season 2, Episode 9 of "Holmes Family Rescue," Mike, Sherry, and Michael ran into a small issue with the property's brick walls. During the renovation process, old windows were removed and new ones were brought in to replace them, making the existing brickwork look a little uneven. However, Sherry had a solution, and it involved using tint instead of paint to help blend the new bricks.

"When you repair new brick on an old home, it's almost impossible to match that brick. Obviously, this stands out like a sore thumb," shared Mike Holmes. This is a major issue, but, with Sherry's trick, you can be assured that no one will be able to notice the difference. "The tint is absorbed into the brick, and it looks pristine," Sherry further explained. "The tinting becomes part of the brick, which allows it to retain its texture and breathe better so moisture doesn't get trapped. It will keep its color for a long time."

In comparison to painting a brick wall, tinting or staining bricks as Sherry Holmes recommends is a much better alternative for several reasons. One of these is that tinting allows you to be a lot more subtle with the color, meaning you can get a better color match when using it to blend with existing brickwork. Unlike paint, which can look patchy when applied in a thin layer, staining your bricks will look intentional. This is because the tint will soak into the brick rather than sit on top of it.

Additionally, using a stain won't leave a visible layer on top of the bricks, making it an ideal choice if you want to retain an authentic look. Along the same vein as this is that staining your bricks will last a lot longer than painting them. This is partly due to the fact that the product is absorbed by the brick, and also because it isn't affected by the weather in the same way that paint is. The next time you're in a situation where you want to color-match some bricks, consider reaching for a stain over paint (though always ensure it's one specifically made for brick for best results).