Finishing Brickwork

Determine the Finish.

You will have to determine what type of finish best suits the type of bricks you are using.
Not all types of finishes suit all types of bricks.

Cut Flush.

As the name implies, the joint is cut flush with the trowel after laying the brick.
Nice and simple to achieve.
Full joints make the job look better.

Brushed.

One of the easiest finishes is just to brush it off with a stiff brush when the mortar has gone off a little, if the mortar is too wet you will drag it out of the joint and you will have to refill it.
This finish is one step further on than Cut Flush
Full joints make the job look better.
Use a stiff brush when the joints have gone off a little.
Dont wait too long before you brush it.
If the joints drag out when brushing, leave them for a while longer to set a bit more.

Round Jointed.

Also know as Rolled Jointed.

Round jointing is mainly done with a round section of steel, although lately plastic has started to replace steel jointers.
You will find with plastic jointers that it wont leave the joint black like steel does if the joint gets too dry before you joint it.
Dont leave it too long to round joint.
Joint often, even every course in hot weather if you have to.

If you joint a wall too early when the mortar is still very wet the wall will have a tendency to roll forwards slightly at the top, it will be only 1 or 2mm.
This usually happens in wet weather with wet bricks.

My method of round jointing.
Joint the beds.
Brush the wall with a horizontal action, this helps fill in any small holes and cracks in the perp joints and makes the whole job look good.
Joint the perps.
If you do the perps along each course you will miss some, go up and down the line of perps, this will almost eliminate missed perps.
Re-joint the beds.

Raked.

Raked joints are by far the easiest to do, you can lay a whole wall before you need to rake, unless you are working in very hot conditions.
Always rake the perps first followed by the bed joints.
Very easy to do.
Use a brush to clean all the small debris out of the joints after raking.

• Home Made Raker

Instructions on how to make a home made raker
Basic tool kit

Troweled Joints

Troweled Joints are as the name suggests in that they are finished off with a trowel, usually a small pointing trowel.
There are two types of finish with this method.

• Struck is when the trowel is run along the top of the brick on the lower course, forming a small ledge in the bed joint on the top of the lower brick.

• Weathered is when the trowel is run along the lower edge of the upper brick, this method is preferred when water is to be shed off the brickwork.

Two of the hardest joint types to get looking right.
Done with a small pointing trowel.
Do the perps first, followed by the bed joints.
Dont brush off after troweling.


Brickwork below in the pic is Weather Struck.