The Important Role of Cement Masons in Construction

At The Conco Companies, we seem to always be on the lookout for experienced cement masons.  Furthermore, we readily recognize the value of our talented crew of cement masons and acknowledge the impact they have on the success of our projects.  

As far back as the Middle Ages, buildings were built by paid workers.  Day laborers did the unskilled work while skilled craftsmen were in charge of the detailed, more elaborate work.  Starting out as apprentices, they learned the trade from more experienced master craftsmen.  The Renaissance period was much the same with a division of labor between unskilled workers and skilled craftsmen.  Guilds were organized by craft, which served to provide “a limited form of building regulation in return for members of the guild holding a monopoly on a particular trade in a defined area (usually within the town walls).”

Today cement masons and concrete finishers are responsible for the smoothing and finishing of poured concrete surfaces such as floors, walkways, sidewalks, roads, or curbs.  Masons’ numerous job duties in building construction include working in the construction, erection, alteration, repair, modification, demolition, addition or improvement of building structures. 

The type of construction varies from project to project and may involve heavy highway and engineering construction as well as the improvement, modifications and demolition of all or part of any streets and highways (including sidewalks, curbs and gutters), bridges, viaducts, tunnels, and airports.   Jobs may also involve water supply and drainage systems, sanitation projects, wharves, docks, breakwaters or rip-rap stone.

Cement masons need to have a workable knowledge of the properties of concrete including an understanding of how varying weather conditions affect the pouring, leveling, setting and finishing process.  In addition the job requires an expertise in the use of both hand and power tools. 

The Conco Companies are a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States. We have built a reputation on superior concrete formwork, reinforcing, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience.  We have four regional offices to serve Southern and Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado.