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Block Mason skills: what to learn first, and what can wait

Block masonry rewards a short list of skills learned properly, in the right order. Start with the trowel and the line, then learn the reinforcing that makes a block wall structural. The layout and planning skills that lead to foreman can wait until your hands are fast.

Step one

Gets you the interview

Spreading a full mortar bed and buttering earsIt's the first thing anyone watches. Face-shell bedding that's even and full, with head joints that don't fall out, tells a foreman you've laid real block.

Laying to the line with a level and story poleYou should be able to set a unit to a tight line, check plumb and level, and keep course height true without being reminded.

Tending the wall: mixing mortar and stocking scaffoldA lot of block masons start here. Knowing the right mortar consistency and how to load planks without overloading them gets you on a crew.

Running a masonry saw safelyYou'll cut units for openings and corners every day. Contractors want someone who cuts wet or with dust control and doesn't waste block.

Step two

Gets you the offer

Keeping grout cells clean and placing rebarStructural block lives or dies on clear cells and correctly placed vertical bars. This is the skill that separates a block mason from a brick hand who's trying block.

Building bond beams and lintelsKnockout units, horizontal bars and keeping grout from running down open cells come up on almost every commercial wall.

Setting frames, embeds and sleeves as you goLaying around hollow metal frames and the electrician's conduit without cutting finished work later saves the crew a lot of rework.

Striking joints on exposed split-face and ground-face unitsWhen the block is the finished wall, the joint work shows. A clean concave joint and no mortar smears keep the owner from writing it up.

Step three

Gets you promoted

Building leads and laying out a wall from drawingsThe hands who set corners and read structural and architectural sheets set the pace for the whole crew. That's the step toward lead hand.

Running a grout pour for special inspectionKnowing lift heights, consolidation and what the inspector will check means the pour passes the first time, which is what foremen are judged on.

Cold-weather and wall-bracing plansSetting enclosures and heat, protecting fresh work and bracing tall walls against wind is what keeps a crew productive in winter without losing a wall.

Planning material and crew for a day's wallOrdering block by type, spotting pallets, and matching tenders to masons is foreman work, and it's the skill that estimators and superintendents look for too.

Certificates worth your time

Certificate	Best for	Effort	Worth it?
OSHA 10-Hour Construction	Anyone starting on a commercial site	A couple of days of class	Get it early. Many contractors and public jobs ask for it before your first day.
OSHA 30-Hour Construction	Masons moving toward lead hand or foreman	About a week of class, often split over weekends	Worth it once you're running people. It's overkill before then.
NCCER Masonry	Trade school students and non-union masons who want proof of training	A school program or several months of evening classes	Useful on a thin résumé. Once you have solid wall time, the tryout matters more.
Registered apprenticeship completion (journeyworker certificate)	Masons who want the widest range of union and public work	A multi-year paid apprenticeship	The strongest credential in the trade. It takes a long time, but you're paid throughout.

Requirements differ by state, city and contractor, so check with the training provider, your local union hall or your state's apprenticeship office before you sign up.

Put it on your resume like this

Weak

Laid block on commercial jobs and helped with grouting.

Strong

Laid and grouted 12-inch reinforced CMU shear walls on a 60,000 sq ft school, passing 14 of 14 special inspections with no rework.

Questions people ask

Should I learn brick or block first?

If you want commercial work, learn block first. It's heavier, but the line work carries over to brick, and the reinforcing knowledge is what commercial contractors hire for. Brick veneer can come later.

Do I need to read blueprints to get hired as a block mason?

Not for an entry job, where the foreman will tell you where to lay. You'll need to read wall sections, rebar schedules and door schedules to move up to leads and layout.

What tools should I own before a tryout?

Bring your own brick trowel, a long level and a torpedo level, a jointer that matches the joint the job uses, a tape and a line with blocks. Contractors usually supply the saw, mixer and scaffold.

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