The South East's leading specialists in tuckpointing. Traditional craftsmanship, materials and tools.
A B Kirby & Sons are the South East's leading specialists in tuckpointing. We use traditional craftsmanship, materials and tools to achieve the perfect result.
Tuckpointing is a way of using two contrasting colours of mortar in brickwork - one colour matching the bricks themselves - to give an artificial impression that the bricks have been laid with a very fine joint.
Tuckpointing was first used in the late eighteenth century to imitate gauged brickwork: brickwork constructed using rubbed or gauged bricks of fine red finish, which were made slightly oversize and then individually rubbed or cut to a precise size. When laid with white lime mortar, a neat finish of red brick contrasting with very fine white joints was obtained.
Tuckpointing was a way of achieving a similar effect using cheap common bricks - usually reds or yellow stocks. These were laid in a mortar of a matching colour and a fine ribbon of lime putty (usually white but sometimes black) was applied to the joints before the mortar set. The name originates from an earlier, simpler technique known as penny struck, used with very uneven bricks, when a thin line called a tuck was scribed into the flush-faced mortar but left unfilled, to give the impression of well-formed brickwork.
When re-tuckpointing, A B Kirby & Sons use traditional tuckpointing tools, called tuckpointing irons. These are used to apply the lime putty ribbon to the joint. The tools themselves are made from a hardened quality tool steel and are shaped with a sharp-pointed front with a flat base. They have a wooden handle attached with a brass ferrule. Tuckpointing tools are usually 4 mm and 6 mm thick and between 75 and 125 mm in length.
Re-tuckpointing is a highly-skilled method of repointing, whereby after the brickwork has been raked out and dampened down, a coloured lime mortar joint is applied to match the brick. This is then rubbed flush to the face of the brick and grooved while still "green" or fresh, to receive a separate, carefully placed lime putty ribbon. The ribbon is then neatly trimmed, using a knife and straight edge, to form a precise, raised profile.
Its intention was originally to create the illusion of accurately laid, cut and rubbed or gauged brickwork on a standard brickwork facade constructed of irregular bricks. However, it was often used as a means to disguise inferior brickwork. Re-tuckpointing, because of the precise nature of the process, can take up to five times longer to complete than repointing with a flush joint. Because of this, tuckpointing is often only applied to architectural features such as arches or quoins to recreate the appearance of gauged brickwork.
Above: a worn-out tuck pointing panel (left) and the same panel after re-tuckpointing (right).
Below: A B Kirby & Sons demonstrating tuckpointing at the Hatfield House Listed Buildings and Conservation Exhibition.
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