Mason

Summary

Familiar with standard concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field (below).  Rely on limited experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals.  Perform a variety of tasks.  Work under general supervision.  Exercise a certain degree of creativity and latitude.  Typically report to a Maintenance Supervisor or Maintenance Manager.

• Cement Masons & Concrete Finishers — Smooth and finish surfaces of poured concrete, such as floors, walks, sidewalks, roads, or curbs using a variety of hand and power tools; align forms for sidewalks, curbs, or gutters; patch voids; and use saws to cut expansion joints
• Brickmasons & 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
• Plasterers & Stucco Masons — Apply interior or exterior plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials; may also set ornamental plaster
• Stonemasons — Build stone structures, such as piers, walls, and abutments; lay walks, curbstones, or special types of masonry for vats, tanks, and floors

Examples of Work

Job functions are specific duties that would be included in the essential functions of the job description.  These functions are not all-inclusive nor do they cover the full extent of the duties performed.

BRICKMASONS & BLOCKMASONS

• Remove excess mortar with trowels and hand tools, and finish mortar joints with jointing tools, for a sealed, uniform appearance
• 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
• Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels
• 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
• Fasten or fuse brick or other building material to structure with wire clamps, anchor holes, torch, or cement
• Lay and align bricks, blocks, or tiles to build or repair structures or high temperature equipment, such as cupola, kilns, ovens, or furnaces
• Mix specified amounts of sand, clay, dirt, or mortar powder with water to form refractory mixtures
• Calculate angles and courses and determine vertical and horizontal alignment of courses
• Clean working surface to remove scale, dust, soot, or chips of brick and mortar, using broom, wire brush, or scraper
• Apply and smooth mortar or other mixture over work surface
• Examine brickwork or structure to determine need for repair
• Spray or spread refractory material over brickwork to protect against deterioration
• Remove burned or damaged brick or mortar, using sledgehammer, crowbar, chipping gun, or chisel
• Operate University of Florida (UF) vehicles
• Perform other duties, as assigned

CEMENT MASONS & CONCRETE FINISHERS

• Set the forms that hold concrete to the desired pitch and depth, and align them
• Check the forms that hold the concrete to see that they are properly constructed
• Spread, level, and smooth concrete, using rake, shovel, hand or power trowel, hand or power screed, and float
• Monitor how the wind, heat, or cold affect the curing of the concrete throughout the entire process
• Direct the casting of the concrete and supervise laborers who use shovels or special tools to spread it
• Produce rough concrete surface, using broom
• Mold expansion joints and edges, using edging tools, jointers, and straightedge
• Clean chipped area, using wire brush, and feel and observe surface to determine if it is rough or uneven
• Signal truck driver to position truck to facilitate pouring concrete, and move chute to direct concrete on forms
• Apply hardening and sealing compounds to cure surface of concrete, and waterproof or restore surface
• Operate power vibrator to compact concrete
• Chip, scrape, and grind high spots, ridges, and rough projections to finish concrete, using pneumatic chisels, power grinders, or hand tools
• Cut out damaged areas, drill holes for reinforcing rods, and position reinforcing rods to repair concrete, using power saw and drill
• Waterproof or restore concrete surfaces, using appropriate compounds
• Cut metal division strips, and press them into terrazzo base so that top edges form desired design or pattern
• Wet concrete surface, and rub with stone to smooth surface and obtain specified finish
• Wet surface to prepare for bonding, fill holes and cracks with grout or slurry, and smooth, using trowel
• Fabricate concrete beams, columns, and panels
• Install anchor bolts, steel plates, door sills and other fixtures in freshly poured concrete or pattern or stamp the surface to provide a decorative finish
• Push roller over surface to embed chips in surface
• Build wooden molds, and clamp molds around area to be repaired, using hand tools
• Polish surface, using polishing or surfacing machine
• Apply muriatic acid to clean surface, and rinse with water
• Sprinkle colored marble or stone chips, powdered steel, or coloring powder over surface to produce prescribed finish
• Mix cement, sand, and water to produce concrete, grout, or slurry, using hoe, trowel, tamper, scraper, or concrete-mixing machine
• Spread roofing paper on surface of foundation, and spread concrete onto roofing paper with trowel to form terrazzo base
• Operate University of Florida (UF) vehicles
• Perform other duties, as assigned

PLASTERS & STUCCO MASONS

• Cover surfaces such as windows, doors, or sidewalks to protect from splashing
• Clean job sites
• Mix mortar and plaster to desired consistency or direct workers who perform mixing
• Apply coats of plaster or stucco to walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using trowels, brushes, or spray guns
• Set up scaffolds
• Determine materials needed to complete the job and place orders accordingly
• Cure freshly plastered surfaces
• Install guide wires on exterior surfaces of buildings to indicate thickness of plaster or stucco and nail wire mesh, lath, or similar materials to the outside surface to hold stucco in place
• Apply weatherproof, decorative coverings to exterior surfaces of buildings, such as by troweling or spraying on coats of stucco
• Clean and prepare surfaces for applications of plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials, such as by drywall taping
• Create decorative textures in finish coat, using brushes or trowels, sand, pebbles, or stones
• Apply insulation to building exteriors by installing prefabricated insulation systems over existing walls or by covering the outer wall with insulation board, reinforcing mesh, and a base coat
• Rough the undercoat surface with a scratcher so the finish coat will adhere
• Spray acoustic materials or texture finish over walls or ceilings
• Mold or install ornamental plaster pieces, panels, or trim
• Operate University of Florida (UF) vehicles
• Perform other duties, as assigned

STONEMASONS

• Lay out wall patterns or foundations, using straight edge, rule, or staked lines
• 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
• Lay brick to build shells of chimneys and smokestacks or to line or reline industrial furnaces, kilns, boilers and similar installations
• Replace broken or missing masonry units in walls or floors
• Smooth, polish, and bevel surfaces, using hand tools and power tools
• Drill holes in marble or ornamental stone and anchor brackets in holes
• 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
• Remove sections of monument from truck bed, and guide stone onto foundation, using skids, hoist, or truck crane
• Construct and install prefabricated masonry units
• Dig trench for foundation of monument, using pick and shovel
• Position mold along guidelines of wall, press mold in place, and remove mold and paper from wall
• Line interiors of molds with treated paper and fill molds with composition-stone mixture
• Operate University of Florida (UF) vehicles
• Perform other duties, as assigned

Education and Experience

• Completion of an approved apprenticeship program in masonry, or a high school diploma (or equivalent) and four (4) years of appropriate experience
• Appropriate vocational/technical training may substitute at an equivalent rate for the required experience

Licensure and Certification

Florida Class E operator (driver) license

Supervision

• Typically report to a Maintenance Supervisor or Maintenance Manager
• Work under general supervision
• Does not directly supervise
• May lead and direct the work of others

To see common career pathways for each position at the University of Florida please visit the Career Paths section of the UFHR website.