Have you seen Lodge 49, what do you think of it?
this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2025
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I have not. Should I?
I found out my fieldstone foundation mortar turned to dust. I removed everything from my basement and have been tuck pointing for the last several months. It is a hard slog and slow going. I am not a mason but am doing this by necessity (i.e., I'm a fixed pension senior). It is amazing what I have learned from my "practice" wall and YouTube videos. I imagine if a real mason had a look they'd shake their head but it looks good to me and I am over halfway through. Changing out the windows was a learning experience as well. I never did anything like this before but as I am getting closer to the finish line, pride from hard work that pays off is starting to appear.
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As the fifth of five people.... How did you know?
I imagine there's a basic set of skills every mason has to have to be called a competent mason. But more advanced skills aren't necessary. What skills did you develop that you really worked hard on? What some skill that really impresses you that you don't have in masonry?
Being able to guesstimate basic maths, measuring and then cutting exactly to that measurement, being able to semi-accurately gauge out a mix consistently. Most importantly, you need the willingness to do a hard shift, it can be brutal work sometimes. Everything else is icing.
A skill I worked really hard on was grinder dexterity. Being able to cut a straight line is actually a lot harder than one might think. And then polishing with a grinder, it's finicky, really easy to accidentally put a huge divot into a face.
Not really sure about a skill I'm jealous of. I'll have to come back to that.
Hey friend!
My dad is a master mason and has been working for 30+ years.
I don't have any questions, but I advise you to have a backup plan. My pa is in his 50s and has obliterated all of the tissue padding between the joints in his hands from all of his work. He's freaking out because he doesn't have any apprentices that are willing to work so hard, so he's pretty much out of options and unfortunately too poor to just retire.
So, y'know, have a plan B.
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Electrician thinking of moving to Scotland from US. Any advice?
Make sure your certs are valid here, as soon as you're able to take the CSCS safety course, and get your trades card. Cost of living isn't insane, but wages are pretty low. Do not expect to be able to purchase alcohol at a shop before 10am or after 10pm.
Here's a link to figure out how your qualifications stack up in the UK.
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Seeing as Scotland and Canada share a lot of place names, what's your favourite place that you've been to both the Scottish and Canadian versions of? (Nova Scotia does not count)
So. Surprisingly? Canada is quite large! I have yet to be to a place in Canada that shares its name with a place in Scotland, and ALSO the place in Scotland. I'm from Vancouver, so West Coast (bestcoast) of Canada, and there's a few....
I've been to a bit less than half, and not a single one of the Scottish namesake.
Though, every time I go to the Highlands I'm struck by just how very much it looks like BC....just a wee bit more wee....
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What’s your recommendation on replacing a farmhouse style sink that’s set in a stone countertop (I think it’s quartz). We believe the countertop was placed on top of the sink, which makes removal difficult as there’s small lips on either side of the sink. I believe those lips could be removed but not sure the best way to go about it safely without damaging the rest of the countertop or lungs.
Send me a pic? Top and bottom of where the counter meets the sink.
Best one I’ve got at the moment. Basically it’s but much overlap if we wanted to move the sink out.
The sink is likely sitting on a frame, probably wood. There should be clips holding it in place under the counter top. It should be as simple as removing the screws/bolts on the clips, cutting the seal around the edge, and lift-sliding it out.
If you send me a picture of the underside at one of the sides I'll be able to get a bit more specific.
Those pictures are amazing.
Do you run into trouble with permits and Inspections because that type of skilled work can't be very common. Or is it?
Not yet! In my day to day job things are heavily dictated by engineers and architects. And when what jobs I take on the side actually require permitting and inspection I pay an engineer to go over my design and confirm I'm within regulation and the customer is required to get the appropriate permits and schedule inspections.
Masonry is kinda dying. In Canada it's considered unskilled labour. So no certs, no training other than what you get on the job. The UK has a few different certificates depending on what country. England has a Vocational Qualification for Fixing(installation) and used to do multi-trade, Banker/Fixer(cutting/carving and installing), but have recently moved Banker to an arts bachelor. Scotland is still has a multi-trade qualification, but it's actually really really hard to get. You need to have a quota of stones you have carved, but they need to be installed on a building. There's also very few colleges left in Scotland that even offer a masonry course.
I guess what I'm getting at is that there's a lot of cowboy outfits, and not many masons that do an actually good job. Fewer people are willing to get into it, and there's more people just kinda winging it.
What are your thoughts on the issue of dust with cultured stone, is it similar for real stone as well?
So beyond my opinion on the existence of (un)cultured stone at all? It's probably a bit worse than the harder stones( granite, basalt, slates) and about on par with stuff like sandstone and limestone.
"Cultured" stone is an affront to nature, and no one who calls themselves a stone mason should be willing to install it....unless the price is exceptional...
What it started out as, and is still claimed (falsely, for the most part) to be, was ground up stone that was deemed "unusable" that is mixed with cement and cast into a small assortment of shapes. For the most part, in my experience, cultured stone today is literally just precast concrete that MIGHT have a dye added integrally, but is likely dusted on after being removed from the mold but before it fully cures. It's lifespan is very short. It's colour fades within a few years if not sooner. And most of the people who install it do subpar work.
Thank you for your insight.
No worries dude! Do. Not. Accept. Inferior. Materials!
Fuck cultured stone.
How did you get started as a stone mason?
Bonus: what made you first consider it seriously as a profession?
As I said in a different comment:
Honestly just kinda fell into it. Was working in a warehouse and hated it. Just walked off one day, called a friend just to complain about it and the firm he was working for happened to be hiring. I was 18, I'm now a few months away from 40.
For the bonus: I left and did other stuff here and there, few years of demolition, but always ended up back at a masonry firm. I'm good at it. It's heavy work, but there's a lot of thinking involved. Sometimes you spend 3 times as long thinking about how a stone is going to go in around various obstructions without damaging anything than it takes to actually fit the stone. It's mentally stimulating and physically taxing. I guess to take the long way to answering your question, I always wanted to do masonry as soon as I started it. I only left for something else due to shitty bosses.
What's the biggest thing you ever made? Which work are you the most proud of?
And how are you received as a Canadian in Scotland? Do they treat you alright?
Do you have midges in Canada?
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