Tile setters and tile finishers install materials on a variety of surfaces, such as floors, walls, ceilings, countertops, patios, and roof decks.

To cut tiles, workers use power wet saws, tile scribes, or hand-held tile cutters to create even edges. They use trowels of different sizes to spread mortar or a sticky paste, called mastic, evenly on the surface to be tiled.  After the mortar dries and the tiles are set, they grout between tiles using a rubber trowel called a float.

Terrazzo workers and finishers create decorative walkways, floors, patios, and panels. Although much of the preliminary work in pouring, leveling, and finishing concrete is similar to that of cement masons, terrazzo workers create more decorative finishes by blending a fine marble chip into the cement, which is often colored. Once the terrazzo is thoroughly set, workers correct any depressions or imperfections with a grinder to create a smooth, uniform finish.

Stone masons build stone walls, as well as set stone exteriors and floors. They work with many types of stone: natural stone, such as marble, granite, and limestone; and artificial stone, made from concrete marble chips or other masonry materials.

As a mason tender, you work directly with the mason, erecting scaffolding and preparing the mortar used to hold the bricks together. Construction laborers typically do the following:

– Clean and prepare construction sites by removing debris and possible hazards

– Load or unload building materials to be used in construction

– Build or take apart bracing, scaffolding, and temporary structures

– Operate or tend equipment and machines used in construction

A bricklayer helper performs some of the duties of a bricklayer journeyman.

The helper does not actually lay any of the units but performs jobs such as grouting, placing reinforcing rods, and installing insulation and certain anchorage systems.