Brickmasons and Blockmasons — Career Decision Dashboard

Typical tasks

• Fasten or fuse brick or other building material to structure with wire clamps, anchor holes, torch, or cement.
• 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.