How to Find Old Bricks

There are many reasons why you might want to get your hands on old or "reclaimed" bricks. You may need to replace a crumbling section of a brick wall with something that matches or be in need of cheap building material for a garden box or walkway. A more ambitious project might be to give a new building an old look with an entire facade made from aged bricks. Collecting a few bricks is easy, but getting enough for a major project might challenge your ingenuity---here are some tips.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Check sources like Craigslist and your local classifieds. It is not uncommon for there to be ads for free piles of old brick available for anyone who is willing to haul them away. Be quick about following up these ads, however. They are usually first-come, first-served.

2. Visit your local building or demolition sites and ask about old brick. If the contractor does not already have an agreement to sell whatever old bricks there are, he might let you have them for free.

3. Call your local ReStore and ask them if they have any old bricks in stock. This is an arm of Habitat for Humanity, and their local branches often have a lot of reclaimed building materials in stock.

4. Look in your city directory to see if there is a building materials reclamation service. Some municipalities have an agency that serves this function, in addition to what the nonprofit ReStore is doing. If you do have such a municipal service, contact them about old bricks as well.

5. Contact your area's private salvage yards about old bricks.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep in mind that not all old bricks are the same. Make sure you are getting the right type of brick for a repair job or a consistent set of bricks for new construction.
• Many sources of old bricks will sell them with bits of mortar still attached. As this mortar will need to be laboriously removed with a hammer and chisel, make sure you aren't paying much for those bricks.

References

• Reclaimed Brick Examples

Resources

• Habitat for Humanity ReStore Directory