From a distance, popular precast concrete products such as Steps, Pavers, and Wall caps may look similar from vendor to vendor on the outside, but it's what's inside that truly counts.
A precast concrete product (like any product) is only as good as the materials that go into it during the manufacturing process. Low-cost cast stone products made with inadequate cements, aggregates, and pigments may appear to have an acceptable level of quality at first glance, but in due time, their true integrity will beome evident.
Some of the most common attributes of inferior precast concrete products include:
- Wide variances in color across multiple pieces
- Fragility & cracking
- Abundance of air bubbles
- Extreme modeling & discoloration
To make matters worse, some of the above side affects may not present themselves for some time - quite possibly after the contractors have completed the project and moved on, leaving the home owner to address the faulty material on their own.
Ravacast is brought on to a number of projects each year to replace failing, substandard precast concrete products, and often times, additional scopes of work and materials must also be replaced, all at the cost of the home owner.
The good news is; this scenario can be avoided! If you're currently in the market for precast concrete products such as Window Sills, Balustrade Systems, and Pool Coping, ensure that the vendor you're selecting uses Type II cement (or greater), quality aggregates, and integral, non-fading (color-fast) pigments in all of its products.
Of course, using quality materials is just one facet of producing high-quality cast stone products. Needless to say, a myriad of other steps are required for achieving the highest level of quality, but without caliber materials at one's disposal, those steps would be taken in vain.