Cement Mason means a person who finishes all concrete construction, such as floors, walls, ceilings, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, whether finished by trowel or float or any other process,. Also sacks, chips, rubs, grinds and cures by compounds in concrete finishing work. They dry packs, grouts and finishes in connection with setting machinery, such as engines, generators, air compressors and tanks, and includes any other work that is generally performed by a journeyperson cement mason. Cement Mason is a nationally designated trade under the Inter-provincial Red Seal program. (Find out about Red Seal in the Trades Lingo section.)

Cement Mason is similar to a Bricklayer/Stone Mason in duties.

What do these workers do?
(Source: BC Work Futures)

Mix and carry mortar. As an apprentice you will mix and carry the mortar used to join bricks into a wall. The type of mortar depends the temperature, humidity and the types of bricks and blocks being used.

Build and dismantle scaffolding. Constructing high walls requires scaffolding. Worker's Compensation Board requirements state that substantial scaffolding must be constructed and dismantled as the work progresses.

Joint walls. This is the delicate process of applying enough mortar to give a wall its shape but not so much that it distorts it. Pointing tools and trowels are used to create smooth mortar lines between bricks and blocks.

Cut blocks, bricks and stone. Stone and brick can be cut with chisels, brick sets and hammers. Wet cutting saws and circular saws with hardened blades can also be used to cut bricks and blocks.

Lay stone and brick pathways and courtyards. Pathways, whether laid with or without mortar, require careful sub-surface preparation. Forms are used for the edges of a brick path, while stone paths are more free form. Laying a free-form stone path that is stable and weather resistant requires a lot of experience.

Build seismically sound concrete block walls. Concrete block walls higher than three feet require steel reinforcing. Fitting concrete bond blocks requires coordination and dexterity, but these blocks make it possible to build block walls that are many stories high. Building codes specify the minimum requirements for seismically sound brick and block walls and stone fireplaces.

Restore and damp proof existing masonry work. Over time the pointing on brick walls will deteriorate. Masons are employed to re-point walls and chimneys, which involves renewing mortar joints between bricks. This type of work is less common in B.C. because brick construction was never as economically as viable as in Ontario and Quebec. As a result there is less historical brick construction, both residentially and in institutions, in B.C.

Read the full Concrete Finisher Profile (Cement Mason 60kb pdf).

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