Flush pointing
Filled level with the face of the brick or stone. Plain and clean.
Cross-section: brick above and below, mortar in the middle, face of the wall on the right.
Pointing styles
Flush
A flush joint is filled right to the face of the masonry and cut off level with a trowel, then usually brushed once it's firmed up to give a slightly textured surface. It's the simplest profile and the most common finish on stone, where the irregular edges of the stones make a tooled profile impractical.
On brick it gives a calm, flat wall with less shadow than a struck or recessed joint. It sheds water reasonably well because there's nowhere for it to sit, but it doesn't have the deliberate run-off angle of a weather struck joint.
Flush is the normal finish for lime pointing on period property. We use it on most of the stone terraces and cottages around Rochdale, Whitworth and Littleborough, brushed back to expose the aggregate and match the original.
- Suits
- Stone walls, rendered-look brick, walls that will be painted or limewashed, most lime work.
- Avoid on
- Very uneven brick, where a flush joint ends up looking wavy.
The others
More pointing styles
Weather struck
Angled back at the top so rain runs off the face. The hardest-wearing profile.
Bucket handle
Concave, tooled with a round bar. Compacts well and hides irregular brick.
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.