Case study · Construction
A heritage restoration project that grew into a repeat cast stone programme.
Started with one silicone mould rebuilding a lost feature. Ended with a rolling programme for a specialist stone contractor.
The brief
What the customer arrived with.
A conservation architect needed a silicone mould made from an existing feature on a listed elevation, so that a replacement in cast stone could be made for a missing counterpart on the same building. It was, initially, a one-off job.
How it went
Stage by stage.
The one-off mould
A hand-laid brush-on silicone mould with a rigid mother mould, taken directly from the surviving feature on site. Silicone chosen for its ability to capture the weathered stone's fine detail without damaging the original.
The replacement casting
The mould was used by the stone contractor to produce the cast stone counterpart. The contractor kept the mould afterwards.
Repeat work
Impressed with the quality of the mould, the stone contractor commissioned five more moulds over the following year for other conservation projects. That grew into a standing supplier relationship for their bespoke restoration jobs.
The paperwork
Every mould was documented with the silicone grade, the pour weight and the mother mould material. Useful for the contractor's own record-keeping on listed-building projects.
Lessons
What we took from the job.
What we took from it
One-off restoration jobs often mature into repeat relationships if the first mould performs well.
What we took from it
The engineering behind a heritage silicone mould is often more demanding than production tooling — the master can't be modified, and the mould has to come off without damage.
What we took from it
Documentation matters even for one-off jobs, because the finished feature will outlive several supplier relationships.
Related
Where to read next.
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