I've a small, slabbed yard which I intend to repoint before painting over, my only real constrictions being weather and time. I've studied two methods, dry brushing and directly applying wet mortar and to my mind, dry brushing appears to be considerably easier. Is their any particular disadvantage to dry brushing and if not, why do some builders go the the trouble of pointing with wet cement, please?
Not a wet mix as such...more damp than wet. Being damp it does not stain the slabs, put the mix into the grooves and compact it in with a piece of suitable thickness ply or suchlike works for me, once done a piece of hosepipe is as good as anything to finish the joint top neatly.
Wet pointing is vastly better but not WET. You want your mortar damp enough to just cling together like a snowball. You then fill the joint, tamp down and repeat. Iron the joint off. Wet mortar will stain the slabsm damp won't but you have the moisture in the mix so it can properly hydrate,