Stonemasons

What the job really is

Build stone structures, such as piers, walls, and abutments. Lay walks, curbstones, or special types of masonry for vats, tanks, and floors.

At a glance

• Sector: Construction & Extraction
• O*NET-SOC code: 47-2022
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Set vertical and horizontal alignment of structures, using plumb bob, gauge line, and level.
• Lay out wall patterns or foundations, using straight edge, rule, or staked lines.
• Set stone or marble in place, according to layout or pattern.
• 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.
• Shape, trim, face and cut marble or stone preparatory to setting, using power saws, cutting equipment, and hand tools.
• Mix mortar or grout and pour or spread mortar or grout on marble slabs, stone, or foundation.
• Construct and install prefabricated masonry units.
• Smooth, polish, and bevel surfaces, using hand tools and power tools.
• 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.
• Remove sections of monument from truck bed, and guide stone onto foundation, using skids, hoist, or truck crane.

Tools and technology

Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Word, SAP software, 12 pound sledge hammers, 16 pound sledge hammers, 8 pound sledge hammers, Angle chisels, Angle grinders, Boom lifts

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Brickmasons and Blockmasons
• Tile and Stone Setters
• Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing
• Terrazzo Workers and Finishers
• Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters
• Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
• Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
• Plasterers and Stucco Masons

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Stonemasons — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.