Brick, Block & Beers *LIVE* AVAILABLE NOW!
Episode 1 - Masonry Safety - Silica
Host Don Beers, PE, GC with special guest, Jerry Painter, GC, FASTM discuss masonry safety - specifically respirable silica on the jobsite.
For more information: www.floridamasonry.com or for more on Silica Training, visit www.masoncontractors.org
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Written By: Chris Eversole

Longtime building industry leader works to attract workers

Members of the Painter family have been masons since the early 20th Century, and Painter Masonry has operated for 50 years.

The company, which laid bricks and cement blocks for many of the buildings at the University of Florida and other parts of Greater Gainesville, won’t continue for another generation.  No family member is ready to continue Painter Masonry’s legacy, and none of the workers have stepped up to take over.

What’s more, it’s harder and harder to find workers who are willing to take on the arduous work of building the future – one brick at a time – in the Florida sun.

​Read more:  
​https://www.businessmagazinegainesville.com/an-interview-with-skilled-trades-evangelist-jim-painter/

On Friday, February 8, 2019, Robert Ball, Vice President of Coastal Masonry, Masonry Association of Florida (MAF) Southeast Chapter President and Donna Hinson, MAF Executive Director represented the association's apprentice programs and masonry industry at the 1st Annual Junior Achievement Inspire Event.  The educational job fair featured a concrete block/masonry demonstration by Central Broward Construction (Justin Lord, Owner Central Broward Construction and MAF State Board Vice Chairman).  Over 2000 students attended and were exposed to the masonry industry and construction trades.

Ken Urquhart, Workforce Employment Manager for Junior Achievement of South Florida thanked the MAF for their participation:

​Lintel bearing for veneer is covered in TMS 402 Chapter 12. Specifically 12.2.2.3.2 states "not less than 4 inches". Your architect/engineer should size it for you. Keep in mind that if it is anchored to the backup you must install and expansion joint at one end minimum. If the opening is very wide you may need an exp jt at both ends. I hope this helps. If not, call me.  Thanks for allowing your MAF/MCAA to help.
Jerry Painter, FASTM
352-494-8955

The construction industry has experienced a winding road of recovery. The good news for those considering a construction job is that the industry is starting to hit its stride. The Labor Department remains upbeat on this sector, predicting overall employment growth of about 11 percent, or roughly 758,400 new jobs by the year 2026. Plumbers, electricians, carpenters, painters and construction managers will be needed to build new structures and update existing buildings. Find out which construction jobs we consider a cut above the rest, and read more on how we rank the best jobs. ​

Masonry Testing Protocols
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope everyone had a great 2017. I am believing that it will be a better than ever year for the masonry industry in 2018. As I began to think about starting a new year, I looked at it similar to starting a new building project. As you review the specifications for the materials you will submit for approval you see the section on quality assurance. If it is a small project you will probably take care of it with paper work in your submittal. But if the project is a large project, it will probably include onsite testing. Serious thought and planning should be put into the testing procedures to be used. Chapter 3 of the TMS 402 Code says that “Masonry design requirements in this Code are valid when the quality of the masonry construction meets or exceeds that described in the Specification.” The designer will set up the QA (Quality Assurance) Program based on one of three requirement levels. The program will also describe the procedure for reporting and review as well as resolution of non-compliance. The QA Program will also state the qualifications of the testing laboratory and inspection provider. You will notice the last three sentences had mandatory language, such as “will” in them. This is not optional. If this is not provided, you should...

Masonry's Greatest Strength
Long time South Florida residents who have weathered a severe hurricane often express a heartfelt thankfulness that they were in a concrete masonry structure. Structures built of many lesser products have weathered hurricanes but block homes provide the secure comfort of rock solid construction. This is not just antidotal – its common sense. After reading this article perhaps you will have a better understanding of concrete masonry’s built in strength.

It’s all about the “safety factor”. Simply stated the “safety factor” is the difference between what engineers expect will be the largest wind load a structure will ever be exposed to --- and the wind load that they calculate would rip the structure apart. Structural engineers always like a good safety factor – usually around 3 times or 300%. Poor construction and material deficiencies erode safety factors but if you have sufficient safety factor there is some room for error.

Understanding Wood Frame Connection Problems
Wood frame residential structures have performed poorly in every wind event I have had the opportunity to do wind damage assessment on. The problem is not in the wood itself but in the connectors. A tree branch can be very strong – but if you saw it off you will have a real problem on your hands to nail it back on to its original strength.
The lumber industry is extremely sophisticated in their design procedures. Nails and connections are assigned industry accepted load carrying capacities and safety factors based on extensive testing. All of this is proper engineering. There is, however, a number of factors which explain why Hurricane Irma left dozens of modern wood structures in ruins and zero concrete masonry structures in ruins.

These are:

• Product Weight and Stability
• Natural Safety Factors in Design
• Complexity in Design
• Complexity in Connections

Read More: "Brick, Block & Beers" Volume I, Issue IV (December 2017)
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Have you ever had someone or something encroach on your personal space so badly that you wanted to scream “Back Off!”? So how close is too close?

When my daughters were in high school, they went to a school that had a “Six Inch Rule”. Boys and girls had a 6” rule of separation. Now, as most of you fathers of daughters know, six inches is simply not enough!

A distance that can be critical for a masonry contractor is the distance from which masonry should be viewed to determine its acceptability. If we have reached the point of trying to view the masonry from a certain distance, we already have a problem. 

​Read the whole story here: https://www.masonrymagazine.com/blog/2017/06/01/painters-corner-mcaa-magazine-2/
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