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pointing, in building maintenance, the technique of repairing mortar joints between bricks or other masonry elements. When aging mortar joints crack and disintegrate, the defective mortar is removed by hand or power tool and replaced with fresh mortar, preferably of the same composition as the original. Often an entire wall, or even a whole structure, is pointed because defective points cannot easily be detected, and adjacent joints may also be in need of repair. The mortar is packed tightly in thin layers and tooled to a smooth, concave, finished surface. Tuck-pointing is a refinement of pointing, by which sharply defined points are formed for decorative purposes.