Masonry Careers

A wide variety of careers are available within the masonry industry from mason to instructor to project manager. Depending upon your interests, you could pursue opportunities in many different areas of masonry. Several examples of possible careers within the industry are listed.

Brick and Block Masons

Lay and bind building materials, such as brick, structural tile, concrete block, cinder block, glass block, and terra-cotta block, with mortar and other substances to construct or repair walls, partitions, arches, sewers, and other structures.

Tasks:

  • Calculates angles and courses and determines vertical and horizontal alignment of courses.
  • Breaks or cuts bricks, tiles, or blocks to size, using edge of trowel, hammer, or power saw.
  • Cleans working surface to remove scale, dust, soot, or chips of brick and mortar, using broom, wire brush, or scrapper.
  • Fastens or fuses brick or other building material to structure with wire clamps, anchor holes, torch, or cement.
  • Sprays or spreads refractory material over brickwork to protect against deterioration.
  • Measures distance from reference points and marks guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.
  • Lays and aligns bricks, blocks, or tiles to build or repair structures or high-temperature equipment, such as cupola, kilns, ovens, or furnaces.
  • Removes burned or damaged brick or mortar, using sledgehammer, crowbar, chipping gun, or chisel.
  • Mixes specified amount of sand, clay, dirt, or mortar powder with water to form refractory mixture.
  • Applies and smooths mortar or other mixture over work surface and removes excess, using trowel and hand tools.
  • Examines brickwork or structure to determine need for repair.

Skills:

  • Mathematics
  • Equipment Selection
  • Repairing
  • Monitoring
  • Product Inspection

Abilities:

  • Information Ordering
  • Manual Dexterity
  • Visualization
  • Extent Flexibility
  • Dynamic Strength

Work Activities:

  • Handling and Moving Objects
  • Performing General Physical Activities
  • Controlling Machines and Processes
  • Getting Information Needed to Do the Job
  • Implementing Ideas, Programs, etc.

Interests:

  • Importance of Being Sure All Is Done
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
  • Using Hands on Objects, Tools, Controls