Description
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.
- • 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.
- • Calculate angles and courses and determine vertical and horizontal alignment of courses.
- • Fasten or fuse brick or other building material to structure with wire clamps, anchor holes, torch, or cement.
- • Break or cut bricks, tiles, or blocks to size, using trowel edge, hammer, or power saw.
- • Remove excess mortar with trowels and hand tools, and finish mortar joints with jointing tools, for a sealed, uniform appearance.
- • Interpret blueprints and drawings to determine specifications and to calculate the materials required.
- • Apply and smooth mortar or other mixture over work surface.
- • Mix specified amounts of sand, clay, dirt, or mortar powder with water to form refractory mixtures.
- • Examine brickwork or structure to determine need for repair.
- • Clean working surface to remove scale, dust, soot, or chips of brick and mortar, using broom, wire brush, or scraper.
- • Lay and align bricks, blocks, or tiles to build or repair structures or high temperature equipment, such as cupola, kilns, ovens, or furnaces.
- • 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.
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Construction
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
