Some of Salvage Michigan’s finest reclaimed brick was produced by the Veneklasen (later Zeeland) brickworks in Holland, Michigan between 1850 and about 1920. These recycled bricks come in lovely red, white, and orange colors that were once used in the multi-color brickwork typical of Dutch-American architecture. They occur today all over Michigan.
Main Brick Provider
Salvage Michigan gets our reclaimed brick material from many sources, but we especially use the Veneklasen Brickworks company. They are located in Holland, Michigan and are a small local. They expanded rapidly and in 1892 Veneklasen’s son incorporated the business as Zeeland Brick company when brick and lumber caught popularity and went up in price. The company peaked production in 1893 when Zeeland bricks were being exported even to Chicago. Soon enough, cheap rail transportation eventually led to larger companies that can produce bricks cheaply and put small businesses like these out of work by 1925. Salvage Michigan’s material has a history behind its beauty and limited offerings.
Color Options
Brick options come in three main colors: red, orange and white. The first and most popular color due to the traditional chimney color is red. We also hopped on the trend once the whole buildings used white bricks and incorporated a range of white bricks starting at a creamy white moving to a more ivory-like white. The final color which we abruptly added is a new dusty orange color that was popular in the 1890s with several shades that are now available for purchase.
The Recycling Process
The most popular manufacturing method for bricks is the stiff-mud process. For this approach, we heat the clay and put it in a pug mill to mix the water at 12-15% by weight. We remove all the trapped air and move to an auger machine. The auger cuts out a rectangle-shaped column with steel wires into specific lengths. This must dry for a couple of days to fire in a kiln. The second method is the dry-process which companies use to make refractory bricks. The clay contains about 10% water by weight and goes under a mechanical press to dry then fire. The Third method is the soft-mud process for when the clay is wet. We mix the clay, extrude it and place it in lubricated molds. This takes slightly longer to dry but requires the same firing procedure.
Further Questions & Sources
As a business, we provide a person to person communication approach when doing business. As a small business, we do not charge a pickup fee and are always open to provide quotes/estimates. We pride ourselves on efficiency, quality and customer service. Any further questions or specific requests can be made to mike.smith@salvageichigan.com and we are happy to help!
Douma, Michael J. Veneklasen Brick: A Family, a Company, and a Unique Nineteenth-Century Dutch Architectural Movement in Michigan. W.B. Eerdmans, 2005.
Enspink, Elizabeth. “Veneklasen Brick Company.” Digital Holland, Michigan, 2020. https://digitalholland.org/veneklasen-brick-company/