Mortar joint profiles

Finishing mortar joints improves the rain resistance and visual appeal of the wall.  The surface of the mortar is compacted and pressed into contact with the brocks.

The style of mortar joint you choose will influence the overall appearance of your brickwork.  Five of the most commonly used joint profiles are shown below.

	Flush joints These joints leave the mortar flush with surface of the brickwork.
	Bucket handle joints These joints are tooled to leave a concave, rounded joint.
	Recessed joints This joint type is raked out to leave the edge of the brickwork exposed, picking out individual bricks and creating a shadow effect.
	Weathered struck joints These are created by the bricklayer pressing the mortar back into the brickwork to seal the joint.  If done well, this joint can give the brickwork a neat, well-ordered appearance and looks best with well-formed regular bricks.
	Weathered struck and cut joints These joints are formed as pointing.  The inset edge is produced as it is with weathered struck joints, but the forward edge is projected about 2mm beyond the brick surface.