Why Use Cast Stone?

Cast Stone finds acceptance where the costs of carving , sculpting or machining real stone has placed its use out of  construction budgets. Because the labor and material costs of making a simple flat piece are the same as an ornate piece of the same size, repetition of complex designs is very economical in Cast Stone
In commercial buildings quick deliveries and competitive pricing are attractive to architects. For both residential and commercial owners it allows "1 star" budgets to get a "4 star" look.

This ornate sculpted arch piece is a good example of why Cast Stone is economical. Once the pattern and mold are made the cost of producing this design is the same as a simple plain  piece of the same size.

This band is 8" x 4" x 32"L. One production line could produce 80 pieces per day. Other simpler profiles yield up to 100 pieces per day. On commercial jobs this high production which allows quick turn around will usually eliminate real stone and precast as competitors.

 Quality Control

Producing a high quality product in dry tamped Cast Stone is much more difficult than in wet cast. Mix designs require  experimentation and testing  to develop the required PSI  and low absorption. Since the water/cement ratio is so low ,due to the zero slump mix, wet curing is essential. Most important the overall quality of the piece depends on the compaction provided by the workers that actually tamp the mix into the molds with the pneumatic tamping "guns" and complete mixing of all the material in the mixer.  Poor tamping and incomplete mixing will result in low PSI's and high absorption which leads to efflorescence , staining of masonry below the Cast Stone and surface crazing. 

High quality Dry Tamped Cast Stone requires a dedicated ongoing commitment to quality control.    

Producer Credits: Arch Head: Continental Cast Stone  Greek Key Band-Architectural Art Stone

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