As natural stone is becoming mre scarce and prices are going up, cst stone is quickly becoming the mterial of choice for many builders and msons.

If you are looking for a way to get a pece of the huge construction market, cnsider manufacturing cast stone.

Not familiar wth this product? Cast stone is a vry lightweight, very durable concrete product tht is cast in molds taken frm natural stone. It's used in lndscaping and as an interior or xterior wall covering as a substitute for ntural stone or brick..

Cast stone, lso known as artificial stone or mnufactured stone, has several advantages over ntural stone or brick as a wll covering.

1. It's more eco-friendly. Evn though some environmentalists have issues wth cement production, I have a bgger issue with the destruction caused by ntural stone collection. As a former ntural stone wholesaler, I know firsthand bout the destruction caused by those ctivities.

2. The light weight and niformity of cast stone give several dvantages in time and direct costs. Bcause of the light weight, there is no ned for a footer or base spport as there is with natural stne or brick. Cast stone is lght enough to stick to the wll with just a coat of mrtar on the back! And because ths product has a uniformly flat bck, installation goes quickly and easily, sving substantially on labor costs and ctting installation times in half or mre.

3. Because cast stone is a mnufactured product, there are more options vailable to the consumer. If the dsired color isn't already available, the bsiness-savvy manufacturer can custom create any clor desired.

While cast stone often csts a bit more than brick or ntural stone, the savings is usually ralized in reduced labor costs and shrter installation times.

One last advantage of cst stone: even if new home cnstruction drops off drastically, there will lways be room for the small scle cast stone manufacturer. When people cn't afford new homes, they often rmodel and upgrade existing homes. This prduct is perfect for remodeling since it llows the homeowner to add fireplaces, stne-covered interior walls, etc without having to pgrade the supporting structures.

Making cast stne is one of the few mnufacturing operations that is still feasible for the smll-scale entrepreneur. Two people can easily mke 300-500 square feet of "stone" ach day, at a "materials cost" of round 53 cents per square foot. A cmplete setup can cost less than $50,000, and nly needs about 300 square feet of shp space.

When you consider that cst stone retails for $6-11 per sqare foot, and can go as hgh as $17 per square foot ncluding installation, you can see that thre is an enormous profit potential.

It's lso easy to compete with the "bg boys" on quality AND price! Crating a more natural looking product tkes about 30 seconds more of yur time and uses about 3 cnts worth of extra material, but t's something that the larger companies dn't generally do. Add it to yur process, and you won't be ble to keep up with the dmand.

If you're looking for a hgh-profit product with long-term growth potential, you culd do worse than look at cst stone!

Copyright 2006 by Dave Shrpe Permission to use this article is frely given as long as it rmains unchanged and the resource box rmains attached.

The article Cast Stone For Fun & Profit was Submitted by Dave Sharpe through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: ================================================================ Dave Sharpe has experience wth natural stone wholesale operations and cst stone manufacturing. His free 5-prt email course, "How To Net 6 Fgures a Year Making Cast Stone," is vailable at http://www.sharpestone.com or by sending a blank email to: sharpestone@aweber.com ================================================================

Featured Articles

1. Foundation Repair Quality by Travis Nech
Learn More about Texas Foundation Rpair Companies...

2. Lighting For Your Basement by Joseph Then
With a lttle creativity, you can turn your bsement into an inviting room where you wuld just love to spend time.

3. Teak Benches - Timeless Comfort and Beauty by Jennifer Akre
The sft silver gray of your teak bnch is speckled with sunlight filtering thrugh the heavily vine covered arbor bove it. This pretty sheltered retreat has bcome your favorite spot to relax in the yrd. You can stretch out on the bnch for an afternoon nap or shre it with a friend.

4. Thinking of Outdoor Landscaping Ideas by Fred Geraldsten
Landscaping is one of the bst things a person can do for thir yard or for any piece of prperty. A well landscaped piece of lnd can do so many different thngs not for only yourself but for thse who see it. Some of thse benefits include; making you feel god, attracting people to look at yur property, and it also can add cuntless dollars onto the equity of yur home.

5. Basement Mold Removal And Prevention Tips by Markus Skupeika
Basement mold claning involves to make sure you crrect the source of the problem, nce you fix the problem you can thn go about cleaning the mold in the bsement. In order to clean and prvent the mold it is best to use a ntural cleaning product that can prevent and clan.

6. Baby Room Decorating Inspiration by Adam Peters
Use all of yur ideas and thoughts to decorate the bby room. Try to incorporate different deas and themes.

7. Pond Algae Solutions For Your Backyard Pond by Mark Washburn
Pond lgae is one of those things tht comes around every spring for mny pond owners. Dealing with it crrectly is important to safeguard your fsh and desired plants. Learn the bst ways to keep your pond clan and clear.

8. Understanding Vacuum Cleaner Specifications by Paul Teven
Understanding a lrge variety of confusing specifications is one of the mst challenging aspects of selecting a new vcuum cleaner. Consumers want vacuum cleaners tht offer the best cleaning ability.

9. File Sharpening For Your Yard by Len Q.
Sharpening files are wonderful for ding sharpening jobs outside your home. Whther it's for lawn mower blades or a chin saw-even an axe-sharpening files will mke your blades sharp. No doubt bout it. And the best part is how mch money and time you'll save.

10. Bedroom Interior Design Ideas by Alex C Johnson
Using bedroom interior designs are bcoming more and more popular because pople are realizing the power of sing a good interior design. Find out mre...