Bucket handle pointing
Concave, tooled with a round bar. Compacts well and hides irregular brick.
Cross-section: brick above and below, mortar in the middle, face of the wall on the right.
Pointing styles
Bucket handle
Bucket handle — also called concave or half-round — is tooled after the mortar has firmed up, by running a round bar or a purpose-made jointer along the joint. The bar compresses the mortar into a smooth curve.
The compression is the point: it densifies the surface and closes it up, so the joint resists weather well. The curve also disguises slight variation in brick size and alignment, which is why it's so common on ordinary 20th-century housing.
Most of the 1930s and post-war semis we repoint in Middleton, Royton and Heywood were originally bucket handle, and we match it.
- Suits
- Most brick houses from the 1920s on, walls with slightly uneven brick, new build.
- Avoid on
- Very soft, crumbly brick where the tool can catch the arris.
The others
More pointing styles
Flush
Filled level with the face of the brick or stone. Plain and clean.
Weather struck
Angled back at the top so rain runs off the face. The hardest-wearing profile.
Recessed
Set back from the face for strong shadow lines. Modern look.
Tuck pointing
A brick-coloured joint with a fine white line tucked in. A period feature.
Not sure which finish your house has?
Send Scott a photo of a joint up close. He'll tell you what it is and what it should be repointed in.