Category Members
Category Companies
What does a Bricklayer do?
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.
What are the Main Tasks of a Bricklayer?
- 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.
- Remove burned or damaged brick or mortar, using sledgehammer, crowbar, chipping gun, or chisel.
- Spray or spread refractory material over brickwork to protect against deterioration.
