Occupation
Concrete finisher
Concrete finishers place, level, and finish poured concrete for slabs, floors, walls, curbs, and structures, then cure and protect it. The work is timing-critical: the finish has to be worked as the concrete sets, which can mean long or unsociable hours on a pour day. It is physically hard, weather-affected, and skilled.
Also known as: Cement mason · Cement finisher · Concrete floor finisher · Concreter
Occupation content
Part of Architecture, construction and infrastructure
What the work involves
- Set and check screed rails, forms, and levels before a pour begins.
- Place, spread, and consolidate concrete using vibrators, screeds, and hand tools.
- Float, trowel, and edge the surface to the specified finish as the concrete sets.
- Cut control joints and apply curing compounds, coverings, or water curing.
- Apply surface finishes such as broom, exposed aggregate, stamped, or polished treatments.
- Patch, grind, and repair defects in hardened concrete and clean tools and equipment.
How people commonly enter
- A registered apprenticeship in concrete finishing or cement masonry where the trade is designated.
- On-the-job training starting as a labourer on a concrete crew and progressing to finishing work.
- A college or union pre-apprenticeship programme in concrete work.
- Employer training combined with certificates of qualification or trade tests where a jurisdiction offers them.
Typical training: Apprenticeship
Licensing: Regulated in some jurisdictions — confirm the current requirement with the regulator in your province, state, or country.
Typical work context
Outdoors · Physically active · Team based · Fast paced · Shift work
Related interests
Realistic (hands-on) · Conventional (organizing)
Related aptitude preparation
These are preparation links only. They do not measure eligibility for this occupation and no score here qualifies or disqualifies anyone.
Skills to practise
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Architecture, construction and infrastructure.
Official sources
Labour-market facts such as pay and employment projections are not reproduced here. Open an official source below for figures, with its own geography and reference period.
- O*NET OnLine — Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (47-2051.00) · United States
Link checked
- Canada Job Bank — Occupation search: concrete finisher · Canada
Link checked
- UK National Careers Service — Construction labourer, closest UK profile · United Kingdom
Link checked
Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Architecture, construction and infrastructure in Canada, not a figure for Concrete finisher. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Architecture, construction and infrastructure family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Architecture, construction and infrastructure: education pathways
Some roles in Architecture, construction and infrastructure may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Architecture, construction and infrastructure: licensing
Find jobs
These are live, user-controlled searches on each source's own site for “ Concrete finisher”. Novus Learn does not fetch, store, or rank these results, and job availability never changes your exploration match score.
- Search Canada Job Bank · Canada
- Search USAJOBS · United States federal
- Search EURES · European Union / EEA
- Search Indeed · International (choose location on Indeed)