We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.

Advertiser Disclosure

Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

How We Make Money

We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently from our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.

What is a Mortar Gun?

By Darrell Laurant
Updated May 17, 2024
Our promise to you
WiseGEEK is dedicated to creating trustworthy, high-quality content that always prioritizes transparency, integrity, and inclusivity above all else. Our ensure that our content creation and review process includes rigorous fact-checking, evidence-based, and continual updates to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

Editorial Standards

At WiseGEEK, we are committed to creating content that you can trust. Our editorial process is designed to ensure that every piece of content we publish is accurate, reliable, and informative.

Our team of experienced writers and editors follows a strict set of guidelines to ensure the highest quality content. We conduct thorough research, fact-check all information, and rely on credible sources to back up our claims. Our content is reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and clarity.

We believe in transparency and maintain editorial independence from our advertisers. Our team does not receive direct compensation from advertisers, allowing us to create unbiased content that prioritizes your interests.

If you're doing an Internet search for "mortar gun," it will be more productive to try "grout gun" instead. Otherwise, you'll be confronted with products that help you clean out an enemy machine gun nest. The type of mortar gun used for home renovation and repair has a much more modest aim -- to ease the pain of applying grout between wall and floor tiles or bricks.

Most of us who own homes have been there. The problem is figuring out a way to get a material the consistency of toothpaste to remain inside a narrow path without slopping over onto the tiles themselves. It's difficult to find a trowel-type tool that can operate effectively in such close confines, and the result is often doing the same job twice -- once to apply the grout, a second time to clean off the spatter.

Among the devices that have been developed to deal with this sticky -- literally -- dilemma are the grout float and the grout bag. The former is a flat hand tool that aims to funnel grout into crevices more efficiently than a standard trowel. The latter operates much like a tube of toothpaste, squeezing the contents out from the bottom. As with toothpaste, however, dispensing the grout becomes more and more difficult as the level diminishes.

The mortar gun, meanwhile, features a long, anteater-type nose and a larger capacity for grout than most bags. It actually won't reduce the need to stretch or stoop, as one mortar gun Website promises, but it is easier on the body when the job requires applying grout to a wall or ceiling. Some guns use a plunger device to feed the grout, others a trigger. Aimed properly with both hands, a mortar gun can facilitate inserting mortar more neatly between tiles or bricks, with less of the inevitable overflow that makes grouting a multiple-step process.

The mortar is loaded into a cylinder that fits into the rear of the gun. One advantage over a grout bag is that the mortar gun can be taken apart from the side and cleaned more easily. Another is that the device feeds the grout toward the nozzle more efficiently.

Try to estimate the amount of grout to be used as closely as possible, so it doesn't remain inside and harden. Clean the device after each use. Also, adding WD40® or some other lubricant to the inside of the cylinder helps keep the grout from sticking to the sides.

WiseGEEK is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Discussion Comments

By anon100250 — On Jul 29, 2010

You do not mention the Quikpoint Mortar Gun in the above article. This unit is powered by any drill and is by far the easiest and most controlled way to apply mortar to any masonry joint.

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.