What is the difference between Cast Stone and architectural precast concrete?
The short answer is that Cast Stone is used in place of natural stone. As a type of building stone, Cast Stone is specified under the masonry division 04720. It is usually set by a masonry contractor using standard building stone anchors. Perhaps most important, unless otherwise specified, Cast Stone looks like natural, dimensional, cut building stone. Upon close examination, the finish of Cast Stone looks like limestone; some call it a “sugar cube finish” to distinguish its appearance from the “pebbly with voids” appearance which is normally associated with concrete. This dense finish is more resistant to weather and dirt; and the fine aggregates retain the granular, texture through decades of exposure to the elements. Sandblast or chemical retardation finishing methods (normally used in finishing of architectural precast concrete panels) are seldom used with Cast Stone because of the dulling of aggregates and the loss of fine detail which are not acceptable in quality Cast Stone work
