What is a pointing roller?
A pointing roller is a tool on small wheels with which the bricklayer rakes out a mortar joint and finishes it at the same time. You roll the tool along the joint while an interchangeable jointing element presses and smooths the mortar at an adjustable depth. Well-known brand names are Pointmaster and Easypointer. In Dutch it is called a voegroller.
How it works
With jointing as you go, the joint is finished during bricklaying with the bedding mortar itself, instead of being pointed separately later. The pointing roller makes this quicker and more uniform:
- Pressing compacts the mortar slightly, making the joint firmer and less porous.
- The depth is adjustable, so all joints get the same profile.
- By changing the jointing element you can make different joint types, such as flush, slightly recessed or a shadow joint.
- There are jointing blocks for different joint widths, and special versions for awkward spots such as the joint under a window sill.
Order of work
Finish the bed joints (horizontal) first and then the perpends (vertical). This keeps the perpends crisp and avoids damaging the bed joint again.
When it is and is not suitable
Suitable: flat brickwork of machine-made bricks with dimensionally consistent joints, as in most new build.
Less suitable: rubble stone, handmade or dressed stone and irregular masonry. The roller then cannot follow the stone and the joints look uneven.
Tips
- Right moment: roll when the mortar is “thumbprint hard”: firm enough not to smear, but not yet set. Test on a small area first.
- Keep it clean: clean the wheels and jointing element regularly. Caked-on mortar leaves streaks.
- Mortar on the brick face: brush off squeezed-out mortar from the face before it hardens, otherwise stains remain.
- One profile per facade: do not change jointing element or depth halfway; the difference is clearly visible from a distance.
Related terms
- Joint
- Bed joint
- Perpend joint
- Pointing iron
- Struck joint
- Concave joint
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