Had to pick between a standard trowel and a pointing trowel for a tight repair job

Drew Jones · 2026-03-11T22:10:06.773371+00:00

I was fixing a small section of a brick planter in my backyard, maybe 15 bricks total, and the gap was really tight. My regular trowel was too big to get the mortar in clean, so I grabbed my pointing trowel instead. It took me about an hour longer than I thought, but the finish was way neater and I didn't have to clean up as much mess. My buddy who was helping said, 'You should've just forced the big one in,' but I'm glad I didn't. Has anyone else had a small job where switching to a smaller tool made a big difference in the final look?

charles_young427mo ago

Honestly, a pointing trowel is the right tool for that.

5

leo_black766mo ago

Sometimes the wrong tool gets the job done anyway.

2

emmam897mo ago

Right tool for the job, always.

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ryanc577mo ago

Oh man, my buddy's the same way. He'd try to use a shovel to butter toast if he could. I spent like twenty minutes once trying to use a big screwdriver on a tiny eyeglass screw before I gave up and found the right one. Felt like a real genius.

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