Brick Grout Techniques

Masking Tape

• Masking tape is the secret weapon when it comes to grouting brick projects. It allows you to protect any adjacent materials, such as when a brick wall borders up against the side of a house that has siding or wood paneling installed. Masking tape can also be used to protect the face of bricks for specialty projects when you are using dark grouts that will stain the face of the brick.

Grout Bags

• While the old-fashioned way of grouting bricks is to use a mason trowel to push the grout into the joints and then use a joint tool after the fact to smooth the grout in the joint, the grout bag is a modern invention that makes grouting easier and less messy. Similar to a baker's bag used to decorate cakes, the tip of a grout bag can be placed directly into the joint, allowing you to fill the joint to your preferred height without the mess of a trowel.

Joint Tool

• The joint tool is one of the mainstays in a brickmason's arsenal. They are sold in a variety of sizes and shapes, but the basic idea is that you place the tool over a grout joint with the sides of the tool resting on the face of the brick. The slight curve of the tool dips down into the joint, allowing you to pull away any excess grout during the grouting process, leaving behind a uniform, even joint that is the same depth throughout the project.

Brooming

• Brooming is a method used when you want joints that are flush with the fact of the brick, rather than recessed such as when you use a joint tool. With brooming you first fill the joint with a grout bag or a trowel. After 20 minutes or so have passed, you come back and use the mason tool to scrape the excess grout away from the joints so they flush out with the brick, then use a stiff whisk broom to give the grout a quick rub-down and smoothing.