I used to hate frog mortar joints until a job in Memphis last spring showed me how good they look with old brick

We were matching a 1920s wall on Beale Street and the GC insisted on a raked joint, but by the third course I saw it actually pulled the color out of those salvaged reds way better than a flush joint ever could, has anyone else had a change of heart on a finish they swore they'd never do?

3 comments

3 Comments

leo61229d ago

Tbh I once swore off trowel finishes entirely after a job went sideways, and now I use raked joints all the time.

davis.noah29d ago

Agree completely with that take. It's wild how much difference the joint finish makes on old brick. I was always a flush joint guy too until I did a repoint on a warehouse from the 1910s here in town. The owner wanted a weathered look so I tried a rough raked joint and it totally changed how the whole wall read. The deeper shadow lines made each brick pop way more than a flat joint ever could. Made me realize sometimes you gotta try things you hate just to see what happens.

alicew6829d ago

That bit about "the deeper shadow lines made each brick pop" really nails it. I think that's the part people miss when they stick with just one finish their whole career. @leo612 probably gets this too since you've been around the block with different techniques, it's amazing how much just removing some mortar changes the whole personality of a wall.