What Do Brickmasons and Blockmasons Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

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Job Description, Daily Responsibilities, and Work Life

Brickmasons and Blockmasons

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.

Salary
$58420
Becoming One
Easy
Education
No degree required
Job Satisfaction
Low
Job Growth

Personality
Interest Match



Job Description

Job Description

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. They also measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.

Other tasks include:

  • 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.

We asked Brickmasons and Blockmasons how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

Job satisfaction

52%

How meaningful is this job

57%


52% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 57% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.



Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Brickmasons and Blockmasons apply and smooth mortar or other mixture over work surface. They remove excess mortar with trowels and hand tools, and finish mortar joints with jointing tools, for a sealed, uniform appearance.

A typical day for a Brickmason and Blockmason will also include:

  • Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.
  • Clean working surface to remove scale, dust, soot, or chips of brick and mortar, using broom, wire brush, or scraper.
  • Fasten or fuse brick or other building material to structure with wire clamps, anchor holes, torch, or cement.
  • 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.
  • Break or cut bricks, tiles, or blocks to size, using trowel edge, hammer, or power saw.

We asked some Brickmasons and Blockmasons a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job? 35% said yes
How important is it to work in a team in this job? 52% said very important
Do you have group discussions everyday in this job? 68% said yes
Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job? 13% said yes
Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job? 4% said yes
Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job? 23% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Brickmasons and Blockmasons also remove burned or damaged brick or mortar, using sledgehammer, crowbar, chipping gun, or chisel. They may also examine brickwork or structure to determine need for repair.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Brickmasons and Blockmasons Mix specified amounts of sand, clay, dirt, or mortar powder with water to form refractory mixtures. They might also Interpret blueprints and drawings to determine specifications and to calculate the materials required.

In addition, they Clean working surface to remove scale, dust, soot, or chips of brick and mortar, using broom, wire brush, or scraper.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Fasten or fuse brick or other building material to structure with wire clamps, anchor holes, torch, or cement.

To some Brickmasons and Blockmasons, it is also their responsibility to Spray or spread refractory material over brickwork to protect against deterioration.


Working life

Working hours

Standard 40 hour work week

Working schedule

Irregular work schedule that changes depending on weather conditions, customer demand or contract duration.

In a typical work week as a Brickmason and Blockmason, you can expect to work 40 hour work week.

Do Brickmasons and Blockmasons work in an office-style work environment?

Once a year
68%


Never
32%


Do Brickmasons and Blockmasons work outdoors?

Every day
97%


Once a week
3%



Is this right for me

Best personality for this career

The Builders and The Thinkers

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.



Learn more about Brickmasons and Blockmasons

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Related to Brickmasons and Blockmasons Job Description

Brickmasons and Blockmasons job description, what do Brickmasons and Blockmasons do, typical day for Brickmasons and Blockmasons, what is it like to work as a Brickmason and Blockmason, how many hours do Brickmasons and Blockmasons work, day to day work of a Brickmason and Blockmason

Additional resources

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/construction-and-extraction/brickmasons-blockmasons-and-stonemasons.htm
http://www.dol.gov/apprenticeship/
http://www.imiweb.org/
http://www.opcmia.org/


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