Tuckpointing is a skill of deception that first appeared in the first quarter of the 18th Century. It was intended to give the appearance of expensive and highly desirable gauged brickwork (see Gauged brickwork) and as a means to disguise poorly manufactured bricks. The skill and artistry required to execute it ensured its place among the pinnacle brickwork crafts and this is certainly true today. It was used throughout the Georgian and the Victorian eras, though in the latter it was simply considered the most appropriate for high value façades rather than with deception in mind.
Tuck pointing consist of several stages. First, as in all pointing, the joints are thoroughly raked back and thoroughly cleansed. Next, a red ochre pigmented mortar known as stopping is inserted in the manner of pointing to create a uniform slab of red brick masonry. This is then often colour washed to provide unity of colour to the brickwork. A matrix of horizontal and vertical housing is then incised into the stopping on the bed joints and vertical joints respectively. Finally, a bead or ribbon of fine putty is applied to form a contrasting matrix of ‘joints’ which are carefully & precisely trimmed.
In this example of an 18th Century listed town house, poor brickwork construction where a bay window had previously been removed, cement pointing and a number of attempts at lime pointing had created an unsightly appearance. As well as the unsightly brickwork, the ‘gauged arch’ central to the lower elevation had been constructed in cement without the knowledge of setting out or construction of this type of enrichment.
Before
Before: A cement built flat arch showing an apparent lack of understanding of correct bonding arrangement of the voussoirs and of setting out. Removing it and building a new gauged arch using rubber bricks was not an option in this scenario.
Before: Various renditions of pointing found on the façade included cement and attempts at lime pointing. Random sized reclaimed bricks bedded in cement mortar had been used to rebuild the brickwork leading to joints of excessive thickness and a lack of bonding generally.
Terrence Lee suggested tuck pointing the elevation below the string course to create unity of jointing and precision befitting a Regency property of this style as well as an opportunity to rid it of cement pointing. The elevation above the string course was lime pointed using hot lime mortar and a ruled finish. Cement was removed from the gauged arches on the upper floors, and these would lightly colour washed and repointed using a 2 mm tuck iron. The parapet wall repaired, and bricks replaced on the façade where they had been affected by cement pointing.
A flat surface on the arch was created by using an abrasive disc and a camber created at the soffit to remove the optical illusion of sagging. The arch joints were then stopped up with pigmented lime mortar, colour washed, and tuck pointed with a 2mm tuck iron. A stepped flashing was inserted above the doorway.
A comparison of ‘before’ and ‘after’. It was a project made possible by close cooperation and discussion between TLC, the client, and conservation officer.
An image of crisp, precise tuck pointing ribbon. Note how the perpendicular joints are vertically aligned & arch soffit neatly tuck pointed.
The remainder of the elevation above the string course was lime pointed using a hot lime mortar with a ruled finish based on evidence of neighbouring properties. The gauged arches were cleansed of cement, lightly colour washed and repointed using 1-2mmm tuck irons in combination with straight edges. A full elevation repoint offers the opportunity to use craft skills.
