How to Become a Mason & Insights from a Veteran

So you want to be a stonemason? Fair warning: it’s hard work. But it’s also rewarding work, both financially and emotionally. Just ask Rob Howard, master stonemason and owner of Stone Solutions Maine. After three decades in the business, Howard sometimes comes home tired from his work, but he’s never tired of his work.

 

“Back when I was being taught, I was aware that the things we were building were expected to last for 50 or 100 years, and that’s one of the things people love about it,” Howard said. “It’s the pride of looking back at the end of the day and thinking, ‘I created this.’ There’s a big sense of accomplishment with that.”

Howard recently took a break in between jobs to reminisce about his early days as a mason and offer those who are considering entering the trade a sense of what to expect.

Competitive Pay

When Howard got started, there was a chicken-and-egg conundrum for those trying to break into the business. All of the help wanted ads in the paper asked for five years of experience, but there was no way to get that experience if no one would give you a chance.

Times change. Today, Howard says there are fewer young people interested in careers in masonry, or building trades in general. As a result, business owners like himself are more willing to hire inexperienced applicants if they are hard workers and genuinely interested in learning.

The pay is solid even for those with less than five years on the job (in Howard’s Southern Maine region, they’ll earn between $30-$40 per hour). Those who stick with it or eventually start a business of their own will make considerably more. These are wages that can be earned without the burden of taking on six figures of debt pursuing a degree.

“Trades are a great opportunity for young people especially, because it’s high-paying work,” Howard said. “So many of my buddies spent a ton of money going to college and their careers don’t have anything to do with what they studied. Even a lot of the ones that do make less money than I do.”

A Day in the Life

A stonemason needs to be physically and mentally resilient. The days can run 10-14 hours with a few brief breaks. Conditions run the gamut.

“The days are hot, they’re dusty, they’re cold, or it’s wet, and depending on where you are, it’s maybe all of those things,” he said.

Howard wouldn’t have it any other way. There’s a feeling of satisfaction that comes at the end of the day that he and his crews savor.

“I think that some people really appreciate a hard day’s work,” he said. “When they go home and sit down, or go hang out afterward, they’re proud. It’s kind of hardcore – like, I bust my ass and I deserve the end of this day.”

The job will keep you busy all year round. The spring, summer and fall seasons are jammed with indoor veneer and outdoor hardscaping jobs alike, and in warmer parts of the country, the same holds true for winter.

In a cold region like New England, many businesses will hold off on patio projects in the dead of winter because the ground conditions become too problematic for installation. To compensate for the slowdown, some companies offer snow plowing services.

Where to Begin?

For those interested in a career as a mason, Howard recommends taking on any foot-in-the-door jobs you can without worrying too much about the pay. In the beginning, the priority is to figure out whether you like the work, and if so, build a little bit of experience.

“I tell guys, go do some side work for people,” Howard said. “Be up front and say, ‘I’ve never really done this, but I’m not going to charge you a lot. We’re going to figure it out and do the best we can.’ People are willing to do that because not everyone has a lot of money.”

In Howard’s first job, he was tasked with mixing mortar and manually splitting stones into veneer pieces. Just a few decades ago, products like Toro Stone, that come ready for installation out of the box, were not as widespread as they are today. In that respect, a beginner mason will have it much easier than the veterans in their crew did.

“They didn’t have all this veneer that you can buy now, so we’d buy rocks and split them ourselves and make our own,” Howard recalled. “I would be sent over to a local pit to get a truck or trailer full of rocks and then that was my job – to sit there with a chisel and a hammer and split those all day long. That is a huge change in the industry.”