Pointing in civil construction - its necessity & procedure.

 Now let us look into some of the questions, which arise in our mind, regarding pointing work in the civil field.

1.   What is pointing in civil construction?

Pointing is the process of chiseling or scrapping the existing mortar joints surface in the masonry work, and refilling them with the rich mortar mix, usually in the proportion of 1:1 or 1:2 ratio of cement and sand. Adding some plasticizers, the mix ratio may vary up to  1:5, but anything above this proportion does not serve the pointing purpose.

The pointing work can be carried out in all the types of masonry works, made up of any building blocks like rubble stone,(see the fig. below) clay bricks, cement blocks, etc. Sometimes lime mortar is used for the specific work, but cement mortar is widely preferred, with or without plasticizers.

The pointing can be grooved, flushed, or protruded from the masonry surface, depending upon the building material, its purpose, and the type of pointing work chosen, according to the required specification.

2.   When this pointing work is required?

We avoid plaster coating for the masonry surfaces to give an aesthetic appearance and in some cases to minimize the construction costs. The exposed surface needs protection from the varying climatic conditions, now or in the later stage, then this pointing work comes into the picture.

3.    What is the procedure to do the pointing work?

1.  All the mortar joints should be chiseled or raked to the depth of about 15-20mm., exposing the rough mortar surface.

2.  Sprinkle them with the water or with the cement slurry to make them wet.

3.  Prepare the mortar of the required proportion and fill the exposed joints with the trowel, pressing them inward to fill the chiseled joints.

4.  Finish the surface as per the type of pointing, cut or groove them with the plastering channel (aluminum Patti).

5.  Remove the excess material by scraping them.

6.  Cure the pointing work for 7-10 days.

4.    What are the advantages of pointing?

1.   It gives protection for the wall masonry from harsh climatic conditions.

2.   It saves money used in the plastering work.

3.   Pointing gives an aesthetic look to the wall surface and building. 

4.   Repointing can be done in the later stage, by scraping the older one to change the architectural look.

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