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Concrete Balusters versus Synthetic Balusters
Synthetic Stone Home - Previous Page: Balusters
With advancements in new materials we feel most homeowners do not know what is available to them today. Having the right baluster on your home will make a tremendous impact on one of the most important aspects of your home, curb appeal. Below we are listing some of the differences between concrete balusters and synthetic balusters to help people decide what baluster they will choose when building or remodeling their home.
1. Concrete Balusters: Concrete balusters are poured into a mold, the mold is removed from the baluster once the concrete has cured, and the baluster is then a finished product. The seam where the baluster mold was put together is transferred in two places permanently; it will be a 1/8” wide with small pinholes and darker in color, nothing can be done to remove this from the baluster.
*Synthetic Balusters: Our balusters are made in much the same way, but when our balusters are removed from the baluster mold it is not a finished baluster. We sand our balusters seams to eliminate most of the baluster joint, we then send it into a sandblast room where the texture is applied, this process leaves a baluster seam that is almost not noticeable.
2. Concrete Balusters: Concrete balusters are porous allowing water to soak into the baluster, promoting the growth of mold. If a hairline crack develops in the baluster, water can get into the baluster and with freezing can crack the entire baluster.
*Synthetic Balusters: Our synthetic balusters are not porous and will not allow water to penetrate into them. We use polyurethane adhesive to seal the tops and bottoms of the balusters, we also seal the tops of all the balusters with caulking as a second line of defense against water getting into the balusters.
3. Concrete Balusters: A concrete baluster mold is poured full of concrete, this adds a tremendous amount of weight to each baluster. The weight of a concrete baluster can be 40lbs, when combining the weight of the balusters with the rails you can end up with a balustrade system that weighs 200 lbs per lineal foot, because of the weight an elevated deck will require steel support.
*Synthetic Balusters: Our synthetic balusters are made to be hollow, this eliminates ¾ of the weight of the balusters, we had a point load test done on our B-5 baluster, and it far exceeded all ICC requirements for balusters.
4. Concrete Stair Balusters: When installing a stair baluster made from concrete, the masons will need to cut the pitch of the stair onto the baluster. Then the top & bottom of the baluster will need to be drilled and epoxy a steel pin into the balusters, the top & bottom of the baluster will need to be mortared.
*Synthetic Stair Balusters: Our synthetic stairs balusters can be cut with a 12” miter saw, once the baluster is cut you take ½” cvpc and insert it into the pipe that is in the baluster, this process can be done in a fraction of the time it takes to do concrete balusters.