There are different types of pointing in brick masonry construction. People nowadays use pointing in their brick masonry for many purposes. One of them is because of the amazing appearance pointing gives to your homes or business a much more attractive appearance that will surely elevate the beauty of the structure. Pointing creates a pattern on the wall that improves the appearance of the structure. Different types of pointing in brick masonry give different types of patterns. And so therefore you have a wide range to choose from according to the pattern you want.
This is a very old craft construction that has been followed on from hundreds of years ago. Another reason why pointing is done is because of the protection of the mortar joints. Using pointing, you are protecting the joints from any atmosphere abuse.
Pointing work of brick masonry is the most effective way of restoring the condition and physical appearance of a building structure, and it forms an essential part of overall and ongoing building maintenance. Pointing also helps in improving the structural integrity of the building’s structure. Also, it makes the outside wall more weatherproof. This is something that your walls should be.
What is Brick Masonry?
Masonry is the concept of art and craft that is done on a building in the stone, clay, brick, or even on a concrete block. This concept of adding crafts to a building came for the very early age of the earth. The early man used to do masonry on the walls of caves. People took this concept and used it to increase the visual design of their building for more attraction. This masonry begins with extractive materials such as clay, gravel, sand, etc. the most commonly used materials are the granites, limestone, and sandstone. Different tools are used to do the shaping of the stones and bricks. In order to get a more attractive look, architects generally add color, pattern, and textures.
What is Pointing?
Pointing, in building maintenance, the technique of repairing mortar joints between bricks or other masonry elements. When aging mortar joints crack and disintegrate, the defective mortar is removed by hand or power tool and replaced with fresh mortar, preferably of the same composition as the original. Often an entire wall, or even a whole structure, is pointed because defective points cannot easily be detected, and adjacent joints may also be in need of repair. The mortar is packed tightly in thin layers and tooled to a smooth, concave, finished surface. Tuck-pointing is a refinement of pointing, by which sharply defined points are formed for decorative purposes.
Types of Pointing in Brick Masonry Construction
There are different types of pointing in brick masonry construction that you can choose from for your masonry. Each type of pointing has its own benefits that you can get. Mainly in this article, we will be talking about 8 types of pointing in brick masonry construction.
- Flush Pointing
- Tuckpointing
- Beaded pointing
- Weathered pointing
- Keyed pointing
- Recessed pointing
- Struck pointing
- V-Grooved pointing
Flush pointing
When you are applying the flush pointing technique what happens is the mortar is getting filled and pressed into a mortar joint. And then, the finishing is done by flushing off the edges of the stones or bricks. This gives it a smooth appearance. To give it a final finish, the edges are trimmed with a trowel and straight edge. A benefit of this technique is that it eliminates the chances of accumulation of dust, water, etc.
Tuckpointing
In the Tuckpointing method, the mortar joints are filled and pressed ensuring that it is leveled with the surface of the masonry. The grooves are cut in the mortar joint while the mortar is still fresh. This is done because it is easy to make the grooves when the mortar is fresh. Then the Ti is filled with white cement putty. If these projections are done in a mortar, it is known to most as half tuckpointing.
Beaded pointing
In the beaded pointing process, concave grooves are formed into a joint and pressed into a masonry joint. Since the shapes of the grooves are concave, the shaping is done using tools that are also concave in shape. The best thing about beaded pointing is the fact that the appearance it gives is very appealing. However, it might get damaged a bit quickly.
Weathered pointing
In weathered pointing, the mortar is pressed into a joint. As the mortar is fresh, the tip of the horizontal joint is carefully pressed back with the help of a pointing tool. The image that it looks like is a sloping kind of thing from the top to the bottom.
Keyed Pointing
In the keyed pointing, the mortar is pressed into the joints using the trowel and given a very good finish with the masonry surface face. Once the pressing of the mortar is done, it is then gently curved. You will see a curved arc grooved being formed in the mortar joint. These key pointing are considered to give you the best appearance for your wall.
Recessed pointing
In recessed pointing what happens is the joint is filled with mortar. After that using a straight tool the mortar is pushed back from the edge. This gives an even straight, vertical lining and finishing. However, this is not an ideal method because it doesn’t shed water as much. Only the bricks that have an excellent frost resistance should be used. The appearance, however, is good.
Struck pointing
In this pointing, the mortar is first filled and pressed to match the face of brick masonry work, and then the top edge of the joint is pressed inside around 10 mm compared to the bottom corner. It will form a slope from top to bottom so that that rain wall will drain off quickly.
V Grooved pointing
These types of pointing are similar to keyed pointing work. The mortar filled and pressed into a joint. After that, the V-shaped groove is formed in the joint by the use of the V shape tool. The appearance is really nice.
Well, now you know the benefits and more importantly the types of pointing in brick masonry. You can choose whichever type of pointing you want for your brick masonry and based on the appearance you can choose that & also consultancy from your best Masonry Contractor.
