What is Cast Stone ? 

The history  of cast stone spans several centuries and is not a relatively new or unproven material as if often assumed .In Britain , cast stone has been used since the 18thcentury and remaining examples clearly demonstrate the durability and long term weathering characteristics of the material .

Then as is now , the primary reason for choosing cast stone as opposed to the indigenous natural stone is one of cost , design and availability .

The carving of natural stone has always been expensive and time consuming and as such its usage in modern times is often restricted due to prohibitive costs and unacceptable lead times .

Cast or reconstructed stone enables the architect or specifier to incorporate stonework detailing’s or dressings as desired to give added charm , individuality and character whilst keeping costs to an acceptable and realistic level .

Using a combination of age old and modern manufacturing methods , Elegant Stone reproduce the timeless beauty of natural stone .

From individual houses to large residential and commercial projects , Elegant Stone is the cost effective alternative to natural stone , having a tight grain ashlar appearance , it is available in six standard shades however we do have the ability to produce a wide range of bespoke colours and also a colour match service . 

At Elegant Stone we produce both Semi-Dry Cast Stone and Wet Cast Stone . Semi Dry sharing many of the features of natural quarried stone and with the Wet Cast sharing the chracteristics of a polished granite or marble type texture .  

Semi- Dry as its name suggests involves a lower water content and is made through a process of finely compacting using hand tools our special mixes into the moulds made by our expert team of pattern makers . We have special curing chambers at our factory which ensure the products are hardened properly before delivery 

Wet- Cast again as the name suggests uses a much higher water content and as a result it produces a denser product with typical cube strengths above 50 MPa . The Wet Cast process is one which is much more labour intensive . The Wet Cast process forms a layer of cement laitance against the mould face which must be removed using acid cleaning . Following this cleaning our wet-cast is then hand finished and polished and sealed . Given the intensive production process the lead times for Wet-Cast will be slightly longer than that of Semi-Dry .