I used to think a 3/8 inch joint was always the right call for a brick veneer.

I was working on a house in Tacoma last year, and the architect's specs called for a 1/2 inch joint to match the older brick on the property. I argued against it, thinking it would look sloppy. Seeing the finished wall next to the original changed my mind completely (the scale just looked right). Has anyone else had a job where the specs seemed wrong but actually worked out better?

3 comments

3 Comments

christopher_kim1mo ago

Guess it depends on the whole look of the house. A bigger joint can make old brick feel solid and real, not sloppy at all. Sometimes the specs are trying to match a feel, not just follow a rule book. Your story shows that.

rosebennett1mo agoMost Upvoted

Ever seen a brick wall where the mortar joints are all different sizes? That's what happens when you don't stick to a spec. A bigger joint can work, but it has to be the same all over. The real sloppy look comes from inconsistency, not the size itself. If the whole house has wide, even joints, it feels solid. If they're all over the place, it just looks like a bad job.

the_wade17d ago

Nah, you're both missing the point. A perfect, even joint looks fake and cheap, like a sticker. The little differences are what give it character and show it was built by a human. That "sloppy" look you hate is actually proof of real craft, not a machine or someone rushing. Trying to make everything the same just kills the soul of the whole thing.