Serious question, has anyone else tried using a standard trowel versus a pointing trowel for tight joints?

I was doing a small repair on a 1920s chimney in Cincinnati and my regular trowel was just too big to get the mortar in cleanly. Borrowed a pointing trowel from the guy on the next job and it was way faster with less mess. What's your go-to tool for tricky repointing?

3 comments

3 Comments

elliot_gibson2715d ago

Oh man, you're totally right about the pointing trowel... but for those super tight joints on old brick, I've actually had better luck with a margin trowel.

uma_williams15d ago

Yeah, I mean, my first try with a regular trowel looked like I let a toddler do it. I'm with @lopez.emery on cleaning out the joint first, that's a solid move. But for actually putting the mortar in, I've just accepted I need the pointing trowel. It's the only way I don't make a huge mess on those old bricks.

lopez.emery15d ago

Wait, you guys use a margin trowel for the actual mortar? I always keep one handy for cleaning out the joint first, but for packing in new mortar on those tiny joints, a pointing trowel is still my main tool. The thin blade just gets in there better without smearing everything.