Cast Your Own Panels to Save Time and Money

Field Stories

Feb 3

Written By Michael Liguori, Senior Technical Specialist | Jahn Trainer

Contractors often require cast panels on the job. But a lot of masons are reluctant to take a “do-it-yourself” approach to doing their own casting.

So what do they do instead? Order a mold or cast panels from an outside vendor if they can. But this is often expensive and time-consuming, and it may not always produce an accurate match that can be replicated.

There’s got to be a better way. And there is. Let me give you an example.

A damaged terra cotta decorative feature from a lower Manhattan building.

During the first phase of COVID-19, in early 2020, a contractor in New York City came to us in a pinch. There he was in the middle of a large public-school project in Washington Heights, needing cast panels. A reputable outsourcer told him, “Sorry. Fabricating the mold will take at least a year.”

We understood. Time is money. Falling behind the schedule would have a devastating impact on the project.

After listening closely to their needs, we helped them see that there was a way for them to solve the problem and overcome their reluctance to do their own casting going forward. We suggested several things.

First, we recommended using Jahn M150 Casting Mortar on-site to solve the immediate challenge of doing the castings.

Then, we let them know about our two-day Jahn Certification Masonry Restoration Workshop and training program, which we require to certify masons in the proper techniques for using Jahn Mortars. This is necessary because Jahn Mortars do not use a bonding agent, and the application of a Jahn Mortar requires a certain craftsmanship that is best taught by a Jahn Technician.

Finally, we offered to provide on-site tech support for their first “pack,” to help keep everyone’s confidence high.

The contractor accepted our recommendations, and then ordered mold-making materials from the supplier we recommended.

It was still winter when they received their Jahn Certification, so they began casting new units indoors, working in a climate-controlled area and prepping the building as weather allowed. When warm weather arrived, the units were ready to install.

As promised, we were on-site for the initial “pack.” It can be tricky the first time, tamping the mixture in, one inch of depth at a time. We guided them as they screeded the casting flat and inserted mounting hardware that matched the original hardware. Three days later, the unit was released for final curing.

The project went beautifully. Not only did they solve the immediate problem of keeping on schedule, but they prepared themselves well for future projects that require castings. The New York School Construction Authority now specifies our products whenever they have this type of repair.

We find our products are successful in this application due to three main factors:

 Strength: Through our extensive laboratory testing, we have demonstrated that the strength, permeability, and weight of our cast stone units are the same as the original panels.

Safety: Our units place no additional stress or pressure on the adjacent stone—an issue we have encountered with other products.

Accuracy: Casting on-site with Jahn Mortars makes color matching more precise. For example, a contractor was renovating a building on lower Manhattan’s Lafayette Street. We advised him to purchase M150 Casting Mortar in a laboratory-matched custom color. We also recommended some of our premium color mortars for blending on-site. These products allowed the contractor to vary the color for terra cotta features throughout the building. Casting on-site helped ensure it was a good match in both looks and function.