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Cast Stone Online Guide
Architectural cast stone online database and information
for architects, contractors and homeowners.
Downloadable cast stone catalogs, includes hundreds of CAD files for architects
or browser friendly downloadable catalogs of cast stone profiles. Articles
include installation procedures, attachments and materials.
Comparison of cost and quality of cast stone, limestone and precast concrete materials.
Description: A dry packed cement based product, and will be referred to as
cast stone in these articles.
- Cast stone resembles expensive cut limestone at 20% of the cost of
limestone.
- Cast stone is more uniform in color and texture than other cast products.
- Made from limestone sand, white cement and integrated pigment.
- Dry packed into molds under pressure.
The difference between cast stone and precast
concrete is easily seen, and even the novice can appreciate the high quality
limestone like finish on a cast stone product.
Cast stone, used by man since the Egyptian pyramids were constructed, is hand
packed into molds under tremendous pressure, just as in nature when limestone is
made from the extreme pressure on sand, lime and slurry over thousands of years.
This technique of compacting earth dry sand, cement, crushed limestone and colored pigment with a
small amount of water and additives ensures a product which closely resembles limestone.
Uniform in color and texture because very little water is used in it's
production, cast stone is used where limestone or sandstone is desired but is
cost prohibitive. Cast stone shows the aggregate naturally at its
surface, simulating limestone or sandstone.
Precast concrete manufacturers try to simulate limestone or sandstone by pouring a mix of wet concrete into
molds and when cured are then washed with a mixture of muriatic acid and water,
to remove the fine cured cement particles at the surface of the product, and
hopefully expose the aggregates to give the product the highly desired limestone
"look". This technique is not consistently successful and where the concrete is denser
or has some mold oil left on the surface the acid cannot do the job, giving the
product a irregular or patchy look.
The color of precast concrete is also hard to control because of the large
amounts of water used in the concrete mix. Colored pigment and it's relationship
with cement is affected by the amount of time it is in contact with water and
also the speed in which water is removed from the curing concrete, product made
in early morning retains water for a longer period of time than product poured
later in the day when temperatures are higher, some manufacturers don't measure
precisely the amount of water added to each mix, hence the irregular colors in
the finished precast concrete parts.
Cast Stone in California
Cast stone installed by companies like Ventura
Cast Stone in California city's such as
Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Ventura or Santa Barbara has to be
mechanically fastened to the wood frame of a building usually with
stainless steel or galvanized attachments, this because of earthquake
codes. There are many historical buildings in California with cast
stone as part of their facade. Cast stone in
Los Angeles, Beverly hills, Bel Air, Ventura and Santa Barbara was at it's
most popular in the 1900's. In Santa Barbara, cast stone and precast
concrete was used
extensively in the downtown district and also in a primitive form at the
Santa Barbara mission in the form of adobe, a mixture of mud and straw or horsehair
mixed with water and hand shaped into molds.
On a more modern note! Ventura Cast
Stone make top quality dry pack cast stone and precast columns, balustrade and
door/window moldings, all Architectural moldings. Most of their work is in
Beverly Hills, Bel-Air and the Greater Los Angeles areas, although they do
ship Nationally they only install in the greater Los Angeles, Ventura and
Santa Barbara areas.
A top of the line Cast stone and precast installation company serving Los
Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara is
Regency Cast Stone
installation . In the City
of Ventura, cast stone was used mainly on churches in the downtown area. In Los Angeles
precast concrete was used in many important buildings including the
famous Los Angeles City hall. In Santa Barbara cast stone, precast
concrete and Santa
Barbara stone were used in conjunction in many historical buildings.
Santa Barbara stone also called Santa Barbara sandstone, is found mainly
in Santa Barbara county, is removed from the ground in loose form, the
Santa Barbara stone is then cut and shaped by a stonemason into useable
blocks. In Beverly Hills cast stone was used in the Beverly Hills
City hall and is now used on many residential buildings.
Precast concrete installers sometimes supply and install granite or
precast concrete by CDI
inc including precast, caststone and concrete design products
such as CDI columns. One installer of these products is
Regency Cast Stone
installation of Los Angeles. They also have a extensive installation and
attachment database, go to their website for more information at
regency.netfirms.com
California Precast
info@californiaprecast.com make high quality precast moldings, CDI inc manufacture
precast moldings and stairs. Installers also supply CDI precast
granite concrete
window and door trim, CDI GFRC columns, products from concrete design, full weight
precast
and granite or limestone products, California precast columns, CDI precast pool coping, CDI precast
or limestone moldings
and CDI fireplace mantles.
Some of the products exclusively
manufactured by other company's include mantels (some say mantels). Some
well known fireplace mantel manufacturers are
Cast Stone Co of Los Angeles,
Los Angeles Precast, Ventura Cast
Stone and Dura art stone, Stone legends,
Moonlight molds, Fineline precast, Concrete design inc, Studio cast
design, Concrete design inc, CDI, Limestone Architectural products, Haddonstone, include: cast stone
which resembles
limestone, precast concrete which can be painted or etched, precast which
is cast wet into molds, stone, limestone or sandstone in
los angeles areas such as Ventura, Santa Barbara. Los angeles precast
companies usually manufacture wet pour precast concrete and not many
manufacture dry pack cast stone.
Ventura Cast Stone is one such National dry pack cast stone
manufacturer based in Ventura County and also install their products with
in house installers in the greater Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara
areas. Los angeles precast manufacturers such as
Cast Stone Co make many styles of columns but
are usually made in wet pour precast, los angeles drypack companies are few. Santa
Barbara has many fine precast projects to view, mainly downtown. Santa
Barbara stone is a yellow buff color and is easily replaced with less
expensive cast stone, Santa Barbara stone is found naturally in the Santa
Barbara County area, and is processed and sold in Ventura by Santa Barbara
Sandstone Co. Santa Barbara City and the surrounding areas also boast many
fine Abode columns, especially at the Santa Barbara mission. Ventura City
has many fine limestone and sandstone facades in the downtown Main street
area.
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