Matching natural stone in refurbishment project

Procter Cast Stone products used to match natural stone in prestigious refurbishment project

A prestigious refurbishment and conversion project at Brookfield Park, Garforth, has seen bespoke products from Procter Cast Stone being used to match existing natural stone in several buildings, some of which date from the 1780s.

An arch, mullions, cills, copings, and other items have been installed and are, to the untrained eye, indistinguishable from the original Halifax stone.

Mr John Wilson, the owner and developer, has always used natural stone in previous refurbishments, but he happened to see examples of Procter Cast Stone and was struck by the quality of the products and the versatility of the process.

Having previously suffered from unreliable deliveries of natural stone, he decided to use cast stone for Brookfield Park.

This project was to refurbish farm buildings and sympathetically convert them into high-quality business premises, so any delay would have resulted in an unacceptable loss of rental income.

Procter Cast Stone started by undertaking a site survey to assess the existing stone and check the feasibility of incorporating replicas into the new-build areas of the works.

One aspect that required particularly close attention was the use of new cast stone to raise the height of an existing arch.

Detailed drawings were produced, which were submitted for approval by Mr Wilson.

A number of bespoke moulds were manufactured in Procter's workshops, despite the fact that some items were only to be produced as one-offs.

Nevertheless, the price for the project remained cost-effective compared with using natural stone, and Procter Cast Stone was able to supply the high quality required and, most importantly, meet the agreed deadlines.

To ensure that the quality of the cast stone was not compromised, Procter Cast Stone provided guidance for on-site handling, installation and fitting.

Mr Wilson comments: "I'm the sort of person who would prefer to use hand-cut natural stone, but unreliable deliveries made that impractical for Brookfield Park".

" Instead I have used Procter Cast Stone and am very satisfied with the results".

" Only an expert would be able to tell the difference between the natural and the cast stone, and the arch, for example, is truly a thing of beauty - I have every confidence that it will still be standing in 100 to 200 years' time and looking as good as natural stone would"".

" "In fact I have just placed another order with Procter for cast stone to be used on another project," adds Mr Wilson".

" "Partly this is down to the quality of the product, which I believe is second to none, but, more importantly, the exceptionally high standard of customer service that I have received at all times is very refreshing." Procter has a tradition of excellence and craftsmanship that dates back over 260 years, though many of the design and manufacturing processes used to produce cast stone products are truly state-of-the-art.

Procter looks to develop long term relationships with customers by delivering high quality products and reliable personal service.

In every project, large or small, a dedicated planner is assigned to ensure that every aspect of the work meets with the customer's requirements.

For more information about standard and bespoke cast stone products, please contact Procter Brothers.

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