Masonry Courses: Learn to Become a Pro at Masonry

Considering a Masonry Course? 

If you are curious about the art of building structures from individual units, a masonry course may be ideal for you. A masonry course will provide you with a solid foundation in picking and working with concrete, stone and brick, in both residential and commercial construction and repairs and including both interior and exterior areas. The course is ideal for those who enjoy DIYing as it can be fulfilling to watch a creation from start to finish. The good news is there are tons of masonry courses currently available and they are available in part-time options, making it simple to fit a masonry course into your busy routine. 

About Masonry 

Masonry can be described as taking uncut variously shaped slabs of stone and using them to make building blocks and then using them to build a structure. In Medieval times, Masons were exceptionally skilled craftsmen with an excellent skillset. These skills included that of a builder, designer, architect and engineer and these medieval construction professionals of their time, built incredible places such as the Gothic Cathedrals. Generally, only their appreciation of proportion and basic skills in geometry, they built these precise structures armed with just a compass, a set square and a rope or staff divided off in fifths, thirds and halves. 

In fact, Masons have been designing and building structures since the dawn of civilisation. A masonry course doesn’t promise to educate you on how to reproduce the Great Pyramid, however, it should help you to develop the skills and knowledge honed to perfection by the masons of the past, but brought up-to-date with the modern methods. For example, Gothic Cathedrals normally had thick walls and deep foundations and there were generally structural problems to deal with. Masonry course cover both structural and method considerations when building, the importance of structural repairs and strong foundations, in addition to many other crucial subjects to help you become a pro mason.  

Is This Course for Me? 

A masonry course will benefit anyone who wants to undertake or who already undertakes property maintenance and management. It is also a good course for builders and particularly those who are self-employed, who would like to broaden their range of masonry skills, to maximise their earning potential. 

What Will I Learn? 

You can expect to learn about the nature of masonry in terms of the language associated, the tools, materials, legal requirements, foundations and joining. Students will explore cement and concrete in terms of the types of cement, different kinds of lime, mortar, concrete masonry units and concrete foundations. Construction methods and structural considerations will also be explored in relation to setting out levels, understanding loads, kinds of walls, making construction stronger, dealing with movement, movement joints, using metal, using moisture controls and coping and caps. Learners will explore working with brick and working with stone in terms of the types of bricks, laying bricks, cavity wall construction, types of stone and stone walls that are free standing and that are for landscaping.  

You will learn about construction for fireplaces, BBQ’s, kilns, ovens and fire pits in terms of how to construct chimneys and fireplaces, indoor slow combustion burners and wood or coal nurning stoves and brick barbecues. Landscape applications and hybrid construction will be explored in terms of paving, outdoor steps and other various garden features. Students will learn about repair and miscellaneous work in terms of paints and sealants, plastering walls, fixing plaques to masonry, damaged walls, surface damage and structural damage, problems with driveways and miscellaneous uses of masonry. The course will educate you on building applications in terms of what materials to use, how to choose a site, how to set out buildings, basic design considerations and legalities.  

If you’re serious about doing a masonry course, check out courses near you in the Nightcourses.co.uk national course finder.