Brick exteriors, though not as common or popular as siding or wood exteriors, still have a following. Many homeowners still choose brick over other exterior materials due to its durability and amazing appearance. Even though bricks are certainly more expensive, they do give out the feeling of quality and stability in a home.

However, like any type of material used in home construction, bricks do not last forever. In time, the mortar holding the bricks together will loosen and eventually corrode. When this happens, the bricks also become loose or fall out. This is where products for tuck pointing come in handy.

To prevent this from happening, the mortar needs to be replaced using a procedure called tuckpointing. There are different products for tuck pointing and this article will provide you with an adequate description of the entire process.

Tuckpointing Definition

As described above, tuck pointing is basically a masonry procedure that involves replacing or repairing loose mortar. If you didn’t know, mortar is a material used in holding bricks together.

Though the job when performed by a pro may look as if its relatively easy to do, there are skills needed to perform the job well. Pros only make it look easy. However, DIY enthusiasts or someone who has never done the work before will soon find out they need to develop a skill before they can produce quality results.

Products for Tuck Pointing

One of the reasons why tuckpointing may seem easy to do, is because of the simple tools used in the process. All masons really need is a hawk, a bricklayer’s trowel, and a tuckpointing trowel.

A hawk is a simple device composed of a small piece of flat wood with a handle on one side. The side without the handle is used to lay mortar on so that it can easily be transferred to the brick. This is one of the most important products for tuck pointing.

The bricklayer’s trowel is useful in placing mortar on the hawk. It can also be used to chip away loose pieces of mortar or flattening it out to make the job seem more professional.

The tuckpoint trowel is used to transfer the mortar from the hawk to the brick joints, which is the space between the bricks where old mortar loosened and fell off.

Tuckpointing Mortar Bags

The fastest way to get the job done is to use pre-mixed mortar that come in dry form and placed in bags. All a mason would need to do is to open the bags, take out a specific amount of dry mix mortar, then mix it with water. Just continue mixing until it reaches a certain consistency, then apply it to the brick joints using the products for tuck pointing described above.

If the brick joints were properly prepared before applying mortar, the job should flow seamlessly. With a little care, mortar won’t spread over the bricks. If this happens more work would need to be done to clean the mortar off the bricks before it hardens and becomes a permanent fixture. This will prevent the entire project from look sloppy.

Conclusion

It takes a lot of time to develop tuck pointing skills. If you don’t have those skills and you would prefer not to risk turning your brick walls into an amateur hackjob, then call a professional to do quality tuckpointing work.

We at Affordable Tuckpointing Pros have years of experience in managing any type of project that involves brick exteriors. If you want quality work done on your brick walls, give us a call and we’ll schedule an appointment as soon as possible.