Rant: got a 6 dollar stiff brush from the hardware store in Waco and my mortar joints finally look right
After 3 jobs where my joints kept smearing, an old guy at the counter told me to skip the sponge and just let the mortar set up 15 minutes before brushing it. Took me two tries to get the timing but the joints came out cleaner than anything I've done with a trowel. Anyone else brush their joints or is it mostly sponge for you?