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Brickmasons and Blockmasons

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.

What you’d do

  • Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.
  • Construct corners by fastening in plumb position a corner pole or building a corner pyramid of bricks, and filling in between the corners using a line from corner to corner to guide each course, or layer, of brick.
  • Apply and smooth mortar or other mixture over work surface.
  • Calculate angles and courses and determine vertical and horizontal alignment of courses.
  • Break or cut bricks, tiles, or blocks to size, using trowel edge, hammer, or power saw.
  • Interpret blueprints and drawings to determine specifications and to calculate the materials required.
  • Remove excess mortar with trowels and hand tools, and finish mortar joints with jointing tools, for a sealed, uniform appearance.
  • Fasten or fuse brick or other building material to structure with wire clamps, anchor holes, torch, or cement.

Skills that matter

  • Coordination
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Listening
  • Monitoring
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Quality Control Analysis

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Block Layer
  • Brick and Block Mason
  • Bricklayer
  • Mason
  • Block Mason
  • Blockmason

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