Jointing refers to finishing joints as brickwork proceeds, while pointing finishes raked joints after completion. Common joint profiles include half-round tooled, flush, raked or square-recessed, and weatherstruck. Jointing tools shape joints, with timing depending on brick suction and weather. Pointing involves raking joints and finishing them after brickwork is complete, sometimes using colored mortar mixes for aesthetic effects. Careful joint finishing is important for neat internal and external angles.

1. OBJECTIVES
* State the difference between Jointing and
Pointing
* Sketch the main Joint profiles in use today
*Identify tools used for Jointing and Pointing
* State the sequence and times of when to
joint and point.

2. Jointing & Pointing
Introduction
When bricks have been laid to form a wall, the surplus mortar is
scraped flush with surface of the brick face. This type of surface
finish is called a flush finish.
Today, most brickwork is ‘jointed’ which means that the joints are
finished as the work proceeds and therefore require no further
attention.
‘Pointing’ is a term used to describe the process of finishing off
joints that were raked out on the day the brickwork was built.
Pointing is carried out after the brickwork is complete.

3. Sample Panels
On larger sites, before commencement of any brickwork, sample brick
panels may be constructed and pointed to show how the finished
product will look, giving architectural staff a chance to change the
type or colour of pointing required.
This is because sometimes coloured mortar may be used for the
joints.

4. Using Coloured Mortar
Two different mortar colours with the same brick

5. Shaping mortar joints
The shape of brickwork joints is often done to match existing brickwork and
often the client or the architect will specify that the joints be finished in a
particular way in order to achieve a particular effect of the finished
brickwork.
There are a number of jointing effects that can be used; below are some of
the more
common types of joint finishes.
JOINTING

6. JOINTING

7. JOINTING
One of the most important aspects of jointing up brickwork is
to avoid smudging or staining the surface of the bricks.
Timing is probably the most important aspect of jointing up. The
correct time to joint-up will be determined by the suction rate
of the bricks being used and the weather conditions when the
bricks were laid.

8. Half-Round Tooled
This type of finish is achieved by scraping or ‘ironing
in’ the joint to the shape required by using a tool known
as a jointer.
The jointer is rubbed along the joints to form a concave
or half-round joint. The jointing tool must remain in
contact with the brick arises above and below the bed
joints to avoid a tramline effect on the surface of the
joint.
The cross joints should always be done first and
care is needed when finishing joints at external angles.

9. Half-Round Tooled
Note: Always joint into
The main body of Brickwork

10. Half-Round Tooled
Because it is important to start shaping the joints at exactly the right
moment, you may have to joint the work in stages.
During the summer months, it is usually necessary to joint-up every two or
three courses in a length of wall typically built by one bricklayer. In colder
weather or winter months, the timescale will be lengthened.

11. Flush Joints
It may appear easy to achieve a high standard flush joint, but experience, care and
attention are required if the joints are to be left looking truly flush.
Flush joints are achieved by cleaning off excess surface mortar close to the surface of
the brickwork and then, later on, brushing the surface with a light bristle brush to
remove any crumbs. Great care should be taken to avoid making brush marks in the soft
mortar. It is often advisable to leave the brushing until the work is complete,
maybe the following morning.

12. Raked or square-recessed
After
raking out, the surface of the joint is normally polished up to maximise
the effectiveness of the joint. This can be achieved by using a square
jointing tool. This type of joint does not shed water, so it is not
suitable for exposed sites.

13. Raked or square-recessed joints are
joints where the surface is a specified
depth below the surface of the brick.
This is achieved by raking or scraping
out the joint material using a tool
called a ‘Chariot’or an improvised
depth gauge which is usually a piece of
timber with a nail inserted to the
depth required.
Raked or square-recessed

14. A weatherstruck joint is formed using a pointing trowel. The joint has
a surface, which slopes from the top to the bottom of the brick so
that water can run off the surface of the joint. Vertical joints can
have the joints sloping left or right but must be consistent throughout
the wall surface.
Weatherstruck Joint
Forming a vertical weathstruck joint

15. Weatherstruck Joint
A Frenchman tool with a wooden batten, or pointing rule, to form a
straight edge

16. Weatherstruck Joint
Frenchman tool and pointing rule in use

17. Finishing Mortar Joints
Care should be taken when finishing mortar joints, otherwise the
finished brickwork will look untidy.
Finishing off at internal and external angles is just as important as
finishing off face work on straight walls.
Right Wrong
Internal jointing left to right Internal jointing should not be straight

18. Pointing
Pointing is a term used to describe the process of finishing off
joints that are raked out on the day the brickwork is built. It is
carried out after the brickwork is complete.
Sometimes the client or the architect will specify that the joints
should be pointed to achieve a particular effect using a range of
different joint finishes, (see shaping mortar joints), or a different
colour may be used to contrast the finished brickwork.
When pointing new or old brickwork, the joints are raked out to a
depth of between 12 and 15mm ready to receive the mortar.

19. Mortar Mixes

20. Pointing