Job Description
If you've ever driven by a brick or stone exterior home or building and commented on it's beauty or uniqueness, you have complimented the work of a brick mason, blockmason, or stonemason. Masons, as they are also sometimes called for short, build fences, walkways, walls, buildings, and other structures out of brick, stone, and concrete blocks.
Brickmasons, blockmasons, and stonemasons must be able to read blueprints and drawings in order to accurately determine and order materials needed for a project. Masons regularly use straightedges, trowels, plumb bobs, levels, and other various hand tools. They also mix mortar or grout for spreading onto a project's foundation. Precision and straight lines are vital in a brickmason, blockmason, and stonemason job. They polish a finished project using power tools or hand tools.
Brickmasons and blockmasons – also called bricklayers – build or repair on things such as walls, floors, partitions, fireplaces, and chimneys.
Stonemasons focus on stone walls, building exteriors, and floors. A career as a stonemason includes working with natural-cut stones and artificial stones. Some stonemasons also specialize in setting marble.
Other masons include: pointing, cleaning, and calking workers who repair brickwork, and refractory masons who install firebrick and refractory tile in high-temperature machines.
Education and Certifications
A brickmason career or blockmason career usually begins through a formal 3-4 year apprenticeship. Contractor associations and unions often sponsor mason apprenticeships. Brickmasons, blockmasons and stonemasons may also begin their career with a one-year program at a technical college.
Brickmasons, blockmasons and stonemasons don't need specific licenses or certifications.
Essential Career Information
- $42,900 - Median pay, 2017
- $27,750 - Wage of lowest 10 percent, 2017
- $76,020 - Wage of the highest 10 percent, 2017
- 34,200 - Number of jobs, 2016
- 12% - Employment growth forecast, 2016
- Entry-level education requirements - High school diploma or equivalent
Trade Union
Local
Bricklayers 8
Laurel, MS
251-591-4409
baclocal8se.org
Important Qualities
- Physical Strength. A brickmason, blockmason, or stonemason must have the ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects and to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
- Visual Ability. The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Dexterity. The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.