History Of Cast Stone

Source – Cast Stone Institute website (www.caststone.org)

Cast Stone has been a prime building material for hundreds of years.

The earliest known use of Cast Stone dates about to the year 1138 and was seen at
Carcassonne, France, the Cité which contains the finest remains of medieval fortification
in Europe. Cast Stone was first used extensively in London in the year 1900 and gained
widespread acceptance in America in 1920.

Today, Cast Stone is a truly superior alternative to natural cut building stone. Combined
with its ability to simulate or reproduce an almost limitless variety of natural stones, Cast
Stone offers many advantages over cut stone. Cast Stone can be integrally reinforced with
steel and precisely colored through aggregates or mineral oxides. Mix designs have tested
engineering values which result in a predictable durable life. Strength and weathering
qualities are consistently better than natural stone because the manufacturing process is
controlled. Properties such as these cannot be assured in a quarried building stone.
Repetitive treatment, either as trim or ornament, can be achieved quite economically in
Cast Stone. The ability of Cast Stone to replicate deteriorating natural stone on existing
buildings makes it an ideal material for the remodeling or restoration of old structures.

For its beauty. For its permanence. For its versatility.