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?

4 comments

4 Comments

elliot_gibson273mo 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.

diana61727d ago

Heard a local mason once say the margin trowel is basically a cheat code for old work, and I gotta agree with @uma_williams about cleaning the joint first. The flat edge just lets me cram the mortar in without dragging it all over the brick face. Your mileage may vary, but on those skinny joints it's all I reach for now.

uma_williams3mo 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.emery3mo 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.