Masonry Workers: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more

Education Required
A high school diploma or equivalent is typically required for most masons.
Training Required
Most masons learn the trade through apprenticeships and on the job, working with experienced masons.
Job Outlook
The projected percent change in employment from 2016 to 2026: 12% (Faster than average)
(The average growth rate for all occupations is 7 percent.)
Median pay: How much do Masonry Workers make?
$41,330 Annual Salary
$19.87 per hour

Masonry workers, also known as masons, use bricks, concrete blocks, concrete, and natural and manmade stones to build walls, walkways, fences, and other masonry structures.

What do Masonry Workers do?

Masons typically do the following:

  • Read blueprints or drawings to calculate materials needed
  • Lay out patterns, forms, or foundations according to plans
  • Break or cut materials to required size
  • Mix mortar or grout and spread it onto a slab or foundation
  • Clean excess mortar with trowels and other hand tools
  • Construct corners with a corner pole or by building a corner pyramid
  • Align structures vertically and horizontally, using levels and plumbs
  • Clean and polish surfaces with hand or power tools
  • Fill expansion joints with the appropriate caulking materials

Masonry materials are some of the most common and durable materials used in construction. Brick, block, and stone structures can last for hundreds of years. Concretea mixture of cement, sand, gravel, and wateris the foundation for everything from decorative patios and floors to huge dams or miles of roadways.

The following are examples of types of masons:

Careers for Masonry Workers

  • Adobe layers
  • Apprentice brickmasons
  • Banker masons
  • Block layers
  • Blockmasons
  • Brick chimney builders
  • Brick setters
  • Bricklayers
  • Brickmason apprentices
  • Brickmasons
  • Cement finishers
  • Cement masons
  • Cement patchers
  • Concrete finishers
  • Concrete floor installers
  • Concrete masons
  • Concrete pavement installers
  • Concrete smoothers
  • Concrete swimming pool installers
  • Curbstone setters
  • Firebrick layers
  • Furnace masons
  • Granite setters
  • Granite-chip terrazzo finishers
  • Marble-chip terrazzo workers
  • Masons
  • Memorial masons
  • Monument masons
  • Onyx-chip terrazzo workers
  • Paver installers
  • Paving stone installers
  • Pointers, cleaners, and caulkers
  • Pointing, cleaning, and caulking workers
  • Pottery kiln builders
  • Refractory bricklayers
  • Refractory masons
  • Rock masons
  • Rustic terrazzo setters
  • Segmental paver installers
  • Segmental pavers
  • Segmental wall installers
  • Stone chimney masons
  • Stone layers
  • Stonemasons
  • Terrazzo finishers
  • Terrazzo grinders
  • Terrazzo installers
  • Terrazzo layers
  • Terrazzo masons
  • Terrazzo setters
  • Terrazzo workers

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