Cast stone and precast concrete
installation.
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Cast Stone is a refined architectural concrete building unit manufactured to
simulate natural cut stone, unfortunately the process of manufacturing cast
stone does not allow for the metal or mechanical attachments or reinforcing,
crucial for installation, therefore it is quite harder to install cast stone
than it is to install precast concrete, which allows for insertion of
attachments in the wet material.
Cast stone usually consists of crushed limestone, silica sands or other
small aggregate, mixed semi dry with (usually) white cement and additives,
then hammered with special pneumatic rams, into specially reinforced
molds.
This process transfers extreme pressure to the cast stone material and any
alien object would cause cracking at the mold or even fly out at great
speed.
The best way to add reinforcing , galvanized brick tie attachment or
stainless brackets or bolts, is to drill or cut slots at an angle in the
back of the cast stone part.
The hole or slot in the cast stone is then filled with liquid exterior epoxy
and the attachment is then placed into the hole and supported until the
epoxy sets.
The procedure below is for a simple 6" wide window or door surround, with
galvanized metal ties already epoxied int cast stone and showing at both
ends (top and bottom, for right and left installation) of the cast stone
molding.
Disclaimer: The following instructions for
installing cast stone are suggestions only, they may not comply with your
local, State or Federal codes.
Ventura Cast Stone is not responsible for installation failures or any
problem associated with these instruction.
Also the instructions are only the bare simple procedures of installing cast
stone, there are hundreds of tricks and secret methods to make the procedure
easier and cleaner. Also common sense and your own safety is not covered in
these instructions.
We strongly suggest using a experienced cast stone or precast installer,
some masons are experienced, but installation of cast stone and masonry is
completely different.
- Materials and equipment needed
for proper installation of cast stone
White thinset - acrylic mortar additive - different size masonry trowels -
galvanized or stainless steel screws - lifelong waterproof caulking , with
caulk gun - electric corded 3/8" drill gun with 1/8" masonry bit -
screwgun with Phillips head - #10x3-1/2" deck, galvanized or stainless
steel screws - protective gloves, foot and eye protection - 2x5 gal
buckets hal full of clean water - sponges - spirit level -grout bag.
Installing
- When the cast stone part is ready to install, after dampening (not
wetting) the wall and the back of the cast stone, then adjusting the
galvanized metal brick tie, the installer (using a trowel of the correct
size) pastes a thin skim of white acrylic modified thinset onto the
receiving wall just where the cast stone is to be placed, then the back of
the cast stone is pasted with a 1/4" thickness of the thinset keeping the
thinset in the center and 1/2" away from the edges of the cast stone (do
not let any thinset skim over).
The stone is then placed against the wall thinset to thinset, pushing the
stone and moving up and down to bond the two thinset coats.
- Be sure there are no wires, pipes or anything you don't want to make a
hole into, where you will drill and insert screw behind the point where
the hole in the galvanized tie hits the stucco. Plumb up front of cast
stone with spirit level plumb side, check the side of the cast stone is in
line with the door frame.
.
- The installer takes a (for regular framing and stucco wall) 3-1/2"
galvanized (try to use all stainless attachments near beaches or areas of
heavy precipitation), he then drills a 1/8" hole through the hole in the
galvanized brick tie and through the stucco until hitting the wood framing
(you will feel the drill speed change when it hits the framing, don't
worry if you go into framing slightly, you will be waterproofing soon) he
dips the screw into the end of a tube of lifelong waterproof caulk filling
the threads with caulk, then screws the screw through the tie, stucco and
into the wood framing, remove excess caulk with a damp rag. Then use the
trowel edge to remove thinset from sides of cast stone to 1/4" deep, this
leaves space for grout. Recheck with spirit level
- Clean cast stone thoroughly with damp sponge, turning sponge to use
clean side each time, when sponge is dirty all around, dip into water
bucket and wring old cement out, clean cast stone thoroughly again. Make
sure thinset does not protrude from the sides of the cast stone, recheck
cast stone for plumb and line of door frame. Always keep cleaning as
you go
- Place 1/4" wood or plastic wedges on top of the first stone for joint
spacing, add a small dab of thinset on top of the previous cast stone, do
not touch spacers with thinset or they will be tough to remove the next
day.
- Just repeat the procedure.
- Method of installing cast stone when there
are no mechanical attachments
The only difference to installing cast
stone using the procedure above, is making your own attachment.
Materials needed: same as above except, you will also need a 1/2" electric
drill - 1/2" masonry bit - 3/16 galvanized or stainless lag bolts.
Pick 2 places at the back of the cast stone (1/4 from top and
bottom, and center of width, or according to where there is good framing,
stud etc.
Drill 2 holes (if using a hammer drill, do not use the hammer, it
may break cast stone) about 1/2 way through the cast stone molding.
More to come soon !!
Copyright © 2002 Ventura Cast Stone,
Inc.
PO Box 552, Somis, CA 93066 (805) 386-8185 Fax: (805) 386-3002
We manufacture and install precast and cast stone products, we have worked
with Los Angeles precast, Los Angeles
columns, Los Angeles cast stone, Santa Barbara precast, Beverly Hills,
Beverly Hills columns,Beverly Hills precast, Beverly Hills cast stone,.
Our hand-finished, made in the USA cast stone comes with a choice of 7
different textures and 12 different colors. on the
color and
texture pages there are examples of
each, as well as a general written description. As they are all hand done,
slight variations are to be expected.
Be aware of differences in computer monitors
and different video cards and configurations. If you are unsure, we suggest
you look again on another computer to see if there are any significant
variations, ventura cast stone, stone, malibu precast.
In addition to supplying high-quality pre cast stone products, we will also
assist in design and installation, depending on the size and location of
your project. If you’re interested in custom-designed pre cast stone
accents,Los angeles precast, los angeles columns,
Concrete products can be used
both indoors and outdoors. Malibu columns.Their
extreme durability and low cost make them the ideal choice for our
fineline, santa barbara precast, long term
outdoor use. Integral color can be achieved by adding iron oxide pigments to
the concrete during manufacturing. Aristone offers 14 standard concrete
design colors.
Concrete products are heavy at
140+ pounds per cubic foot. All products must be offloaded and moved to
their final location santa barbara columns, malibu stone,
by hand or by forklift. Santa Barbara
cast stone, santa barbara Structural concrete
columns are typically set by crane.
Design mixes and compressive
strength test results are Los angeles cast stone, stone,
available upon request.
