Cement Mason - Nature of the Work
Job opportunities are expected to be favorable. You will learn this trade by
attending a State of Nevada approved apprenticeship program. Required classroom
training of 160 hours per year combined with accumulating 5000 hours of
on-the-job training satisfies the program requirement that promotes you to
Journeyperson status. Like many other construction trades, these workers may
experience reduced earnings and layoffs during downturns in construction
activity. Cement masons often work overtime, with premium pay, because once
concrete has been placed, the job must be completed.
Cement masons work with concrete, one of the most common and durable materials
used in construction. Once set, concrete-a mixture of Portland cement, sand,
gravel, and water-becomes the foundation for everything from decorative patios
and floors to huge dams or miles of roadways.
Cement masons place and finish the concrete. They also may color concrete
surfaces; expose aggregate (small stones) in walls and sidewalks; or fabricate
concrete beams, columns, and panels. In preparing a site for placing concrete,
cement masons first set the forms for holding the concrete and properly align
them. They then direct the casting of the concrete and supervise laborers who
use shovels or special tools to spread it. Masons then guide a straightedge back
and forth across the top of the forms to "screed," or level, the freshly placed
concrete. Immediately after leveling the concrete, masons carefully smooth the
concrete surface with a "bull float," a long-handled tool about 8 by 48 inches
that covers the coarser materials in the concrete and brings a rich mixture of
fine cement paste to the surface.
After the concrete has been leveled and floated, cement masons press an edger
between the forms and the concrete and guide it along the edge and the surface.
This produces slightly rounded edges and helps prevent chipping or cracking.
Cement masons use a special tool called a "groover" to make joints or grooves at
specific intervals that help control cracking. Next, they trowel the surface
using a powered and/or hand trowel, a small, smooth, rectangular metal tool.
Sometimes, cement masons perform all the steps of laying concrete, including the
finishing. As the final step, they re-trowel the concrete surface back and forth
with powered and hand trowels to create a smooth finish. For a coarse, nonskid
finish, cement masons brush the surface with a broom or stiff-bristled brush.
For a pebble finish, they embed small gravel chips into the surface. They then
wash any excess cement from the exposed chips with a mild acid solution. For
color, they use colored premixed concrete or color hardener. On concrete
surfaces that will remain exposed after the forms are stripped, such as columns,
ceilings, and wall panels, cement masons cut away high spots and loose concrete
with (power) hammer and chisel, fill any large indentations with a Portland
cement paste, and smooth the surface with a carborundum stone. Finally, they
coat the exposed area with a rich Portland cement mixture, using either a
special tool or a coarse cloth to rub the concrete to a uniform finish.
Throughout the entire process, cement masons must monitor how the wind, heat, or
cold affects the curing of the concrete. They must have a thorough knowledge of
concrete characteristics so that, by using sight and touch, they can determine
what is happening to the concrete and take measures to prevent defects.
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Obtaining grade during concrete |
Learning
pre-check safety procedures to operate a boom lift. |
"The recruitment, selection, employment, and training of apprentices during
their apprenticeship, shall be without discrimination because of race, color,
creed, age, religion, national origin, disability, sex, or sexual orientation."