Mortar Joint Styles

How is mortar applied between the brick?

The most common mortar joint styles for new residential construction are grapevine and concave joints.  The mortar joint selection, just like the thread in your favorite apparel, can serve as an interesting architectural element. 

One thing to consider when selecting your style is that installation price may vary based on the mortar joint style you select. You should check with your mason or builder to ensure they can successfully lay the mortar joint style you would like and then verify their pricing is still within your budget. As you can imagine, with more ornate joint styles, there is more craftsmanship and labor involved.

The most common mortar joint styles for new residential construction are grapevine and concave joints.

 

 

                 Grapevine Joint                                            Concave Joint

 

The design rule of thumb is to select a grapevine joint style, shown on the left with our Santa Fe brick, for tumbled and richly textured brick. The grapevine joint is perfectly suited to show off the rick texture of our Vintage Collection brick or any brick where the texture takes center stage. 

In contrast, the concave joint, shown on the right with our Northampton brick, is a perfect choice if you are looking for a tailored aesthetic where the emphasis is on the clean lines of the brick.  Many of our brick work well with the concave joint, but when paired with our Parkway Collection brick, you get the perfect harmony of classic lines and an autumnal color palette for the nature lover in all of us.