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The mention of the job of mason usually conjures imagery of stacks of bricks awaiting laying at a job site.  The mason creates structure by laying multiple courses of brick, each brick and course bound together by mortar.  Whether a foundation, a wall, or just a chimney, the job of laying brick is only the start of the life of the brickwork.

Brick is chosen as a building material due to its strength and stability over time, as well as its classic look.  Maintenance of existing brickwork, especially older brickwork, is pivotal to keeping the strength and vitality of the structure.  As strong as brick is, it has many environmental enemies to contend with during the life of the structure.  Among these are structural settling, water, temperature variation, wind, and plant life (especially vines and ivy).

Brickwork that is not routinely maintained and neglected is a recipe for serious trouble.  Neglected brickwork will become damaged and as a result it will lose structural integrity.  Damaged brickwork also puts the inside structural materials at risk for abnormal weathering as it holds back less and less of the weather outdoors.

Brick pointing is the act of actively servicing the mortar of brickwork.  Mortar--a mixture of sand, water, and typically either lime or cement--while literally the glue that binds the brick structure is itself a highly vulnerable part of brickwork over time.   Less durable than the brick itself, mortar is even more susceptible to damage from structural settling, water, temperature variation, wind, and plant life (especially vines and ivy).

Visually examine your brickwork at least annually, if not seasonally, with an eye for obvious damage to the mortar such as pockets of missing mortar and chunks of loose mortar.  A rule of thumb approach to evaluating mortar that is not missing is to look for receding of one-quarter inch from the exposed edge of the brick.

This visual examination, while easy for foundations and low walls, is more of a challenge for high walls and roof chimneys.  This examination requires at least a ladder, if not scaffolding.

Brick pointing requires a steady hand and patience, but only after significant preparation.  Wherever mortar is missing or just loose, it is important to remove as much additional weakened mortar as possible with either a pointed tool or a masonry brush.  A masonry brush is the preferred tool because it is more difficult to remove stable mortar with it than, say, the tip of a screwdriver.
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The ultimate goal of this preparation is to remove as much damaged and marginally effective mortar as possible before pointing with fresh mortar.  This will help to insure that the fresh mortar will not be undermined from behind and beneath over time.

The final step of preparation after the cleaning out of old mortar is the application of water.  The job of pointing requires a damp environment so the mortar as applied will properly bind and set in the existing space between bricks.

Mortar itself is generally mixed at the job site, but only just before its use.  A mixture of powdered lime, sand, and water is typical for work on old and historic structures built using lime mortar.  For newer structures not built using lime mortar but portland cement instead, the portland cement is mixed in place of lime with the sand and water.

Whichever ingredients are called for, they are mixed into a thick pasty compound, not watery.  Once mixed, the mortar needs to be applied immediately before it dries out.

Typical tools for application are a large trowel to hold mortar plus a specialized pointing trowel to push the mortar into place.  Pointing trowels can have either flat or angled face, and are chosen for specific types of jobs.

Properly applied, mortar is aggressively pressed into place until no bubbles exist and no more can be applied.  It is important NOT to have the mortar protrude over the surrounding brick, which is considered VERY bad form.  A finishing touch is to carefully press with the pointing trowel across the newly applied area so a solid line of mortar appears well-integrated with the existing.

As the mortar sets, it is important to clean away any excess from the surrounding brickwork.  This is typically accomplished with a wet brush or towel.

There's really not much to the clean-up process if you've done the brick-pointing correctly.  The stiff brush we mentioned above should be used to remove stray pieces of mortar; just make sure you do this before the mortar has had a chance to completely harden (This usually takes an hour or two).  But make sure you do it after it's initially set.  If you're too late, and the mortar has already hardened, you'll need to use a wooden paddle or chisel to clean away the debris.  Any mortar smears you notice on the brick will have to be cleaned away after a day or two passes; this will give some resistance to the mortar.  You'll clean this off with ordinary water and the same stiff brush.

With harder mortars containing lower amounts of lime, a "bloom" known as efflorescence will sometimes appear on re-pointed brick after a few weeks. It will, however, disappear in the course of normal weathering and is nothing to be concerned about. Of course, the new mortar will appear lighter in color to the existing mortar, no matter how careful you were in matching colors and texture, and this also will eventually become less and less apparent with aging. Your re-pointed brick masonry should last for many decades; a year or two of mis-colored mortar is a small price to pay.

For large jobs, it is important to watch over the mortar carefully and to keep it moist.  The skilled practitioner will generate little or no waste mortar at their job site.

The thought of brick pointing intimidates a lot of people, but you'll find that if you take the time to learn this skill, it will pay off for years to come.

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