Brick & Masonry Hand Tools

Most folks walk up to the counter thinking they need every masonry tool ever made. They don’t. Whether you’re repairing a brick walkway or building a stone wall, you can tackle many masonry projects with the right set of tools. The trick is knowing which six or eight hand tools actually matter for your specific job — laying brick, repointing old mortar, or finishing a fire pit — and then buying versions that won’t fall apart the first cold snap.

This guide is for the weekend mason building a garden wall, the homeowner repointing a chimney, and the light-duty contractor putting together a first real kit. The tools are commodity items — there’s no single brand to chase. What matters is forged steel, a tight head-to-handle connection, and matching the tool to the task.

The Core Kit and What Each Tool Does

Start with the tools that earn their place in every project. Masonry tools are specialized hand and power instruments designed to measure, cut, shape, and finish materials like brick, stone, and cement. For hand work, the short list comes down to a hammer, a few trowels, a chisel, a level, and a line.

The brick hammer does double duty. The brick hammer, or mason’s hammer, is two tools in one. It has a flat head for striking and a chisel edge for cutting. It does everything from trimming bricks to breaking up concrete and helps you cut and shape with precision, even in challenging circumstances. A 24-ounce head is a common, workable weight for this kind of striking and shaping.

The brick trowel is the workhorse for mortar. For a masonry project that uses bricks or stones, you can use a brick trowel. It makes it easier to apply mortar, place bricks, and shape joints. A standard 10-inch trowel can fulfill many of a homeowner’s needs.

The margin trowel handles everything the big trowel can’t reach. A margin trowel is a slim, rectangular-bladed tool that’s a must-have for applying and spreading mortar in tight spaces. Unlike a brick trowel, it’s not for scooping large amounts of mortar but rather for precision work: getting into narrow joints, filling small gaps, ensuring a smooth finish. If you’re working with stone veneer or delicate brickwork where control matters, a margin trowel is your best bet. It’s also great for scraping excess mortar and keeping your workspace clean as you go. Western Building Center carries a Marshalltown margin trowel with a 5-inch, 1-1/2-inch-wide high-carbon-steel blade and a wood handle.

For finishing joints, you want a pointing trowel or jointer. A pointing trowel (also called a jointer) is used for more detailed masonry work, such as “tucking” mortar into the seams of brick and stone construction. Pointing trowels are stocked in sizes including 5-inch, 6-inch, and 7-by-3-inch blades.

A cold chisel rounds out the cutting tools. These are made of hardened steel with a cutting edge on one side and a large handle designed to protect your hands when pounding the chisel with a large ball-peen hammer.

Then there’s layout. A mason’s level is a standard level that is at least four feet long, specifically designed for providing accurate readings for masonry projects. No bricklayer’s toolkit is complete without a trusty level. Whether you’re laying bricks or blocks, the level ensures each element is perfectly straight and level. It serves multiple functions: ensuring horizontal alignment crucial for maintaining structural integrity, and vertical plumbness, ensuring walls or structures are straight and true without leaning or tilting. Pair it with a mason’s line. A mason’s string, or mason’s line, creates straight lines between two points. The string is usually a sturdy, brightly colored line that provides a precise and straight pathway for your brickwork or stonework. It helps you avoid misalignment or unevenness in any project. Line blocks hold that string close to the courses as you build.

One more for the walkway crowd. The rubber mallet lets you adjust bricks and pavers without causing damage. It’s gentler than a brick hammer, so it works well on projects such as brick walkways laid on sand. This necessary tool allows you to secure bricks without cracking or chipping them. On a sand-set path that has to ride out frost heave, that gentle tap is the difference between a level paver and a cracked one.

Choosing Between Trowel Types

The trowel is where most buyers freeze up. Blade shape changes how the tool works, so match it to what you’re actually doing.

The Philadelphia pattern is the precision option. The Philadelphia brick trowel is distinguished by its tapered, pointed blade. This design allows for precise control when spreading mortar and laying bricks, enabling masons to achieve accurate placements and consistent joint thickness. The pointed tip is particularly useful for navigating tight spaces and corners, ensuring thorough mortar application even in confined areas.

The London pattern moves more mud, faster. The London brick trowel features a rectangular-shaped blade with a flat edge. The larger surface area allows for more mortar to be held and spread with each scoop, increasing efficiency in mortar application. This is particularly advantageous when working on larger projects or laying bricks over expansive areas, as it minimizes the need for frequent reloading. The flat edge of the London trowel is well-suited for achieving straighter joints and smoother finishes. By providing a consistent surface for mortar application, it helps masons maintain uniformity in joint thickness and brick alignment.

Bottom line on the two: the precision and versatility of the Philadelphia trowel make it ideal for intricate detailing and precise mortar application, while the efficiency and consistency provided by the London trowel’s larger blade surface and flat edge are well-suited for spreading mortar over larger areas and achieving straighter joints.

The margin trowel isn’t a competitor to either — it’s the cleanup and detail specialist. And for the finest joint work, a tuck pointer is designed for fine and detailed mortar application in brick joints.

Trowel type	Blade shape	Best for
Philadelphia	Tapered, pointed	Tight spaces, corners, detail work, precise joint thickness
London	Rectangular, flat edge	Large areas, faster mortar loads, straighter joints
Margin (≈5” × 2”)	Slim rectangular	Narrow joints, stone veneer, scraping, cleanup
Pointing / jointer	Small, narrow	Tucking and finishing mortar joints
Tuck pointer	Long, narrow	Fine, detailed joint application

Judging Quality Before You Buy

Here’s the part that separates a tool that lasts a decade from one you replace next season. The single most important buying rule: forged steel. Prioritize forged blades and heads over cast or stamped versions — forged steel holds an edge and survives abuse that snaps cheaper metal.

A good example of what forged construction buys you: a narrow London trowel forged from a single piece of specialty steel, with a heel shape that strikes the perfect balance for loading mortar while maintaining flexibility. That balance of stiffness and flex is exactly what you’re paying for.

After the steel, look at the handle. Ergonomic handles in wood, fiberglass, or rubber cut down hand fatigue over a long day — and on a remote job site where you’re carrying tools a long way from the truck, that fatigue adds up fast. Match the weight to the work too: lighter tools for precision and detail, heavier tools for demolition and large-scale breaking.

The connection point is the safety issue. Inspect the head-to-handle joint before every use, and replace any handle that loosens or shows damage. A loose hammer head or a wobbling trowel blade isn’t just sloppy work — it’s how people get hurt.

Montana adds its own pressure. The wet-dry and freeze-thaw swings out here punish steel and handle joints harder than mild climates. Corrosion-resistant steel and a well-sealed head-to-handle connection hold up better through those seasonal cycles, especially on tools that live outdoors or get stored in an unheated shop.

Joint Finishing and Why It’s More Than Looks

In a freeze-thaw climate, the joint profile is structural, not decorative. The jointer trowel is used to smooth and finish mortar joints, ensuring they’re flush with the surface of the bricks and have a consistent appearance. Jointer trowels come in various shapes and sizes, allowing masons to create different joint profiles, whether concave, convex, V-shaped, or flush joints, each serving specific purposes in terms of water resistance, strength, or visual appeal.

The curved profiles do real work. A jointing trowel, also called a slicker, smooths and shapes mortar joints. They have curved edges that create a concave joint, so your work looks like it was done by a professional while also protecting the mortar from water damage. Convex jointers do the same job — creating professional, water-shedding joints. That water-shedding matters most where mortar joints freeze and thaw repeatedly. Tool the joint right and water runs off instead of soaking in, freezing, and prying the joint apart over winters.

Surface prep and cleanup close out the work. Wire brushes are used to scrape away chips of rock and concrete that get in your work area. You often need this stiff of a brush to rip away old debris in order to make a concrete repair. A mason’s sponge helps you achieve a refined and professional look by smoothing out imperfections and leaving a clean surface. A rubbing brick — like the 20-grit silicon-carbide version Western Building Center stocks — knocks down rough edges on cut brick and block.

Don’t skip protection. Inhaling dust during masonry projects is harmful. To avoid particles entering your lungs, wearing a dust mask can protect you against the fine powder generated from cutting, mixing, and other tasks. A lot of debris can fly around during masonry work. Protect your eyes with safety glasses to stop dust and chips from causing eye injuries.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the minimum hand-tool kit for a first masonry project? A brick hammer, a brick trowel, a margin trowel, a pointing trowel or jointer, a cold chisel, a four-foot level, and a mason’s line with line blocks. Any masonry project can be done yourself as long as you go slow, get advice from experts, and have the right tools. Add a dust mask and safety glasses before you cut or mix anything.

Why does everyone push forged steel so hard? Forged blades and heads outlast cast or stamped versions — they resist cracking and hold an edge under repeated striking. A forged tool like a single-piece London trowel gives you the right mix of stiffness for loading mortar and flex for working it, and that balance doesn’t degrade the way a stamped blade does.

What size brick trowel should a homeowner get? A standard 10-inch trowel is the recommendation because it can fulfill many of a homeowner’s needs. It’s big enough to move mortar efficiently without being unwieldy for someone who isn’t laying brick every day.

Which joint profile holds up best against weather? Concave and convex profiles shed water. Different joint profiles — concave, convex, V-shaped, or flush — each serve specific purposes in terms of water resistance, strength, or visual appeal. The water-shedding shapes are the smart pick anywhere mortar has to ride out freeze-thaw cycles.

Do I need a margin trowel if I already own a brick trowel? Yes — they do different jobs. Unlike a brick trowel, a margin trowel is not for scooping large amounts of mortar but rather for precision work: getting into narrow joints, filling small gaps, ensuring a smooth finish. It’s also your cleanup and scraping tool.

What’s the safest way to set pavers on a sand bed? A rubber mallet. It lets you adjust bricks and pavers without causing damage. It’s gentler than a brick hammer, so it works well on projects such as brick walkways laid on sand. Tap, check level, tap again — no cracked pavers.

How do I keep my tools from failing mid-job? Keep your masonry work plumb with a level and keep your tools maintained: knock rust off blades, sharpen chisels, and replace any handle that loosens. Check the head-to-handle connection every time before you swing a hammer or load a trowel.