With natural stone becoming scarcer and prices rising, cast stone is fast 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 making cast stone.
Not familiar with this product? Cast stone is a very light and durable concrete product that is poured into molds made from natural stone. It is used in landscaping and as 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 for wall cladding.
1. It is more ecological. Although some environmentalists have a problem 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 direct time and cost advantages. 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 stick to the wall with just a layer of mortar on the back! And because this product has a uniformly flat back, installation is quick and easy, saving substantially on 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 fabricator can create any color you desire.
While cast stone typically costs a bit more than brick or natural stone, the savings often come in the form of reduced labor costs and shorter installation times.
One last advantage of cast stone: Even if new home construction drops sharply, there will always be room for the small-scale cast stone manufacturer. When people can’t afford new homes, they often remodel and improve existing homes. This product is perfect for remodeling as it allows the homeowner to add fireplaces, interior stone covered 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 boys” 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-yield product with long-term growth potential, you could do worse than look at molten 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.