Well, it is the time of year again when we put our efforts toward helping others at the start of their trade experience. The Mortar Net Solutions Masonry Apprentice Scholarship is now in its seventh year, with over 200 scholarship tool bags being provided

In the construction industry, every dollar counts, and every penny lost is wasted. Losing small change on your construction projects can add up to thousands of dollars at the end of the year. Maximizing profit should be a primary goal alongside completing

Every contractor knows the feeling. A job looks good on paper. The schedule makes sense. The crews are lined up. The material is supposed to be there. Then, for no obvious reason, the whole job starts crawling. That is what makes it so frustrating. Nobod

Imagine being handed a set of plans calling for the largest brick cathedral in the world. Now imagine building it without modern cranes, engineered scaffolding, forklifts, power tools, or structural analysis software. That was the challenge facing medie

When I stepped into the role of the MCAA’s first Director of Youth Outreach and Education, I knew we had a massive job ahead of us. I am a fourth-generation brick mason, and I have spent over two decades teaching the trade, from working with apprentices a

Several years ago, Huntley Brothers hired a young apprentice. It was his first real job, and he had never had a paycheck before. Friday rolled around, and he got paid just like everyone else. Later that day, one of the guys told me something I have never

A barrier is an element, device, or material that is intended to stop something from passing through. Road barriers stop traffic, for instance. Sun lotion with a high SPF rating will stop UV rays (for a limited time) from damaging the skin. In masonry, ba

Masonry is a craft built on precision, strength, and durability. At the heart of every successful masonry project is one essential tool: the masonry saw. As technology evolves, so does the role of the saw on the jobsite. Today’s contractors are not just l

The wall is complete. The lines are crisp. The coursing is tight, and the burnished CMU delivers exactly the refined appearance the design team envisioned. After weeks of coordination and careful installation, the project is final

Argo Community High School is located in Summit, Illinois, just southwest of Chicago’s Midway Airport. In 2016, the Argo Community High School Board of Education and the school’s administration undertook the construction of a new performing

One of masonry's greatest strengths is its ability to create visually striking architecture. From arches and deep reveals to decorative brick detailing, masonry provides texture, depth, and character that continue to inspire architects today. As buildin

When I first set out to become a historic preservation and restoration mason, I imagined that most of my trade would involve repairing the effects of old age. Instead, 99 percent of my work is attempting to stabilize and reverse damage caused by recent an

For generations, masonry has been built on a simple but powerful principle: knowledge passed from one set of hands to the next. In Arizona, the Arizona Masonry Council (AMC) is working to ensure that tradition continues by investing in one of the industr

Most mason contractors can tell you exactly what a job should cost before it starts. Bid labor hours, material takeoffs, and crew rates per square foot. The numbers are on paper, and they look right. What most can't tell you is whether those numbers held

Homeowners today are coming into projects with a lot more opinions than they used to have. Between social media, home shows and contractor sites, most customers already have a look in mind before you even quote the job. For masonry contractors, having a

The masonry industry is built on tradition, but modern growth requires a shift from guesswork to absolute certainty. When we talk about the philosophy that you cannot improve what you do not measure, we are looking at the literal minutes and manpower lost