Cast stone for fun and profit
With natural stone becoming scarcer and prices rising, cast stone is quickly becoming the material of choice for many builders and masons.
If you’re looking for a way to get a piece of the huge construction market, consider fabricating cast stone.
Not familiar with this product? Cast stone is a very light and durable concrete product that is poured into molds quarried from natural stone. It is used in landscaping and as an interior or exterior wall cladding to replace natural stone or brick.
Cast stone, also known as artificial stone or manufactured stone, has several advantages over natural stone or brick as a wall cladding.
1. It is more ecological. Although some environmentalists have problems with the production of cement, I have a bigger problem with the destruction caused by the collection of natural stone. As a former natural stone wholesaler, I know firsthand about the destruction caused by these activities.
2. The light weight and uniformity of cast stone provide several advantages in direct time and cost. Due to the light weight, there is no need for a footer or base support as there is with natural stone or brick. Cast stone is light enough to adhere to the wall with just a coat of mortar on the back! And because this product has a uniformly flat back, installation is quick and easy, substantially saving labor costs and cutting installation times in half or more.
3. Because cast stone is a manufactured product, more options are available to the consumer. If the desired color is not yet available, the business savvy manufacturer can create any color you want.
While cast stone typically costs a little more than brick or natural stone, the savings often come in reduced labor costs and shorter installation times.
One last advantage of cast stone: Even if new home construction falls sharply, there will always be room for the small-scale cast stone manufacturer. When people can’t afford new houses, they often remodel and improve existing houses. This product is perfect for remodeling as it allows the homeowner to add fireplaces, stone covered interior walls, etc. without having to upgrade support structures.
Cast stone manufacturing is one of the few manufacturing operations that is still feasible for the small business owner. Two people can easily make 300-500 square feet of “stone” each day, at a “materials cost” of about 53 cents per square foot. A complete setup can cost less than $50,000 and only requires about 300 square feet of shop space.
When you consider that cast stone retails for $6-11 per square foot, and can go as high as $17 per square foot including installation, you can see that there is tremendous profit potential.
It’s also easy to compete with the “big guys” on quality AND price! Creating a more natural looking product takes about 30 seconds more of your time and uses about 3 cents of additional material, but it’s something larger companies generally don’t do. Add it to your process and you won’t be able to keep up with the demand.
If you’re looking for a high-return product with long-term growth potential, you could do worse than stare at cast stone!
Copyright 2006 by Dave Sharpe Permission to use this article is freely granted as long as it is not modified and the resource box remains attached.