Cast stone, pre-casted concrete that’s made to mimic natural stone in appearance, texture and function, is beautiful and durable when installed by the professionals. Cast stone repair is something that any homeowner using this material will need to prioritize if they want to keep their cast stone looking and functioning for years.
This material deteriorates over time, just like anything else. Signs of deterioration include:
- The separation of the core and the facing layers.
- Erosion of the aggregate or cement.
- Corroded steel components (cramps, anchors and reinforcement).
- Cracking in the surface of the cast stone.
If you are seeing any of these problems coming up with your cast stonework, repair is something that you need to have performed imminently.
Maintaining Cast Stone
Maintenance is easily the most important part of cast stone repair and care. By properly maintaining your cast stone, you best ensure its durability and beauty. You also minimize the risk of having to shell out your hard-earned cash on more expensive repairs in the near future.
Cleaning
Cleaning is the easiest and perhaps the most important part of cast stone maintenance. A mild detergent and water are enough to remove surface stains. But when the task requires greater effort to address stains and keep the stone clean, an alkaline solution or specialized acid solution is used. If detergent and water aren’t enough to keep your cast stones clean, don’t try to use the harsher cleaning methods yourself. For your safety and the safety of your cast stone, recruit the help of a professional for this step.
To remove dirt and other contaminants, sand blasting or wet grit blasting can also be used. This is another cleaning project that should be only handled by the experts. Improper cleaning can damage the stones and tarnish their appearance.
Repointing
The process of repointing entails the replacement of the mortar on joints and borders that are cracked or otherwise damaged. The sand and the cementing matrix are matched to have the same appearance and durability as the current mortar and then used to reinforce the existing stone. Again, this needs to be performed by the professionals.
Cast Stone Repair
No matter how well you maintain your cast stone, repairs are bound to come up at some point. There are 3 repairs that you are more likely to need to make than others:
- Securing surface facing
- Spall reinforcement
- Surface finishing
Securing Surface Facing
Sometimes, the surface of a stone will become separated from the core. In particularly old buildings where aged components are involved in the repair, an art conservation expert can benefit the process and avoid the risk of harm coming to the historic features of the building. In cases where no historic features are compromised, grout and a resin adhesive are often enough to restore the stone. No matter what, this needs to be done by a professional in order to maintain the integrity of the cast stone.
Spall Reinforcement
Because there are steel elements that can become corroded in cast stones, spall reinforcement is sometimes necessary. This includes the corners and drill holes, as well as the steel supports inside. Only a professional and experienced mason can effectively take care of this problem. If you take a DIY approach to this, you’re more than likely going to make the problem worse.
Surface Finishing
Through a process of grinding, tooling, staining and painting, a professional mason can completely restore the appearance and seal of cast stone. This finishing process is done with meticulous care to best match the appearance of the cast stone when it was new.
Cast stone repair is not something that the average homeowner can successfully pull off. If your cast stone is showing signs of deterioration or damage, call in a mason to get the job done.
