What Do Stonemasons Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Stonemasons build stone structures, such as piers, walls, and abutments. Lay walks, curbstones, or special types of masonry for vats, tanks, and floors. They also lay out wall patterns or foundations, using straight edge, rule, or staked lines.

Other tasks include:

• Shape, trim, face and cut marble or stone preparatory to setting, using power saws, cutting equipment, and hand tools.
• Set vertical and horizontal alignment of structures, using plumb bob, gauge line, and level.
• Mix mortar or grout and pour or spread mortar or grout on marble slabs, stone, or foundation.
• Remove wedges, fill joints between stones, finish joints between stones, using a trowel, and smooth the mortar to an attractive finish, using a tuck pointer.
• Set stone or marble in place, according to layout or pattern.
• Clean excess mortar or grout from surface of marble, stone, or monument, using sponge, brush, water, or acid.

We asked Stonemasons how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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63% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 56% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

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Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Stonemasons shape, trim, face and cut marble or stone preparatory to setting, using power saws, cutting equipment, and hand tools. They set stone or marble in place, according to layout or pattern.

A typical day for a Stonemason will also include:

• Mix mortar or grout and pour or spread mortar or grout on marble slabs, stone, or foundation.
• Line interiors of molds with treated paper and fill molds with composition-stone mixture.
• Lay out wall patterns or foundations, using straight edge, rule, or staked lines.
• Remove wedges, fill joints between stones, finish joints between stones, using a trowel, and smooth the mortar to an attractive finish, using a tuck pointer.
• Clean excess mortar or grout from surface of marble, stone, or monument, using sponge, brush, water, or acid.

We asked some Stonemasons 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?	53% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	31% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	73% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	0% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	0% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	42% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Stonemasons also drill holes in marble or ornamental stone and anchor brackets in holes. They may also lay brick to build shells of chimneys and smokestacks or to line or reline industrial furnaces, kilns, boilers and similar installations.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Stonemasons Repair cracked or chipped areas of stone or marble, using blowtorch and mastic, and remove rough or defective spots from concrete, using power grinder or chisel and hammer. They might also Position mold along guidelines of wall, press mold in place, and remove mold and paper from wall.

In addition, they Lay out wall patterns or foundations, using straight edge, rule, or staked lines.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Replace broken or missing masonry units in walls or floors.

To some Stonemasons, it is also their responsibility to Remove wedges, fill joints between stones, finish joints between stones, using a trowel, and smooth the mortar to an attractive finish, using a tuck pointer.

Working life

Standard 40 hour work week

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

In a typical work week as a Stonemason, you can expect to work 40 hour work week.

Is this right for me

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 forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

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/