Students learn construction skills using stones, bricks and mortor. Bricklayers and stonemasons work in closely related trades creating attractive, durable surfaces and structures. The work varies in complexity, from laying a simple masonry walkway to installing an ornate exterior of a high-rise building. Bricklayers also called brickmasons build walls, floors, partitions, fireplaces, chimneys, and other structures with brick, precast masonry panels, concrete block, and other masonry materials. Additionally, bricklayers specialize in installing firebrick linings in industrial furnaces.
Stonemasons build stone walls, as well as set stone exteriors and floors.
They work with two types of stone natural cut, such as marble, granite, and limestone, and artificial stone made from concrete, marble chips, or other masonry materials. Stonemasons usually work on nonresidential structures, such as houses of worship, hotels, and office buildings. Bricklayers and stonemasons held about 157,000 jobs in 1998. The vast majority were bricklayers. Workers in these crafts are employed primarily by building, special trade, or general contractors.