We get asked this on an almost daily basis and wanted to publish some helpful information to assist buyers and specifiers make an informed decision.
Both Semi Dry and Wet Cast stone are a durable masonry product that emulates that appearance of natural stone while bringing much more flexibility to the design and production – and reducing costs.
Semi Dry Cast Stone
Vapour Cured Semi Dry is the most popular cast stone specification we sell equating to 70% of our annual production.
Vapour Cured Semi Dry cast stone is manufactured using a low water content and a blend of high quality sourced aggregates, colour pigments and additives.
The manufacturing process is faster than its Wet Cast counterpart due to its multicast production method, put simply multiple units can be cast from the same mould across a working day, making it ideal for casting repetitive units in large numbers giving a speedy delivery time too.
For a longer lasting, robust product, we vapour cure our Semi Dry units to give them early compressive strength.
AVS Vapour Cured Semi Dry cast stone is a non-structural dressing where a secondary support will be required when spanning across openings.
Wet Cast Stone
Wet Cast in comparison has a longer manufacture process due to its one cast per mould, per day production method with its casts requiring a surface treatment post cast by the way of acid etching.
Due to this labour intensive process Wet Cast can be considerably more expensive than Semi Dry and with longer lead times too.
Wet Cast is highly durable and lends itself to larger units and intricate detailing. It also can be reinforced to make its units structural saving the need for a secondary support or just to give a better detail than seeing exposed steel lintels.
Its units can also be cast in larger components compared to Semi Dry resulting in less joints.
If you’re looking for experienced UK cast stone suppliers, get in touch with Amber Valley Stone today, and find out how our team of experts can assist with your project. For further information or to forward your enquiry please contact us on 01773 540707 or info@ambervalleystone.co.uk
