About
Cast Artifacts
Is the online distributor for Castart Studios Ltd of Victoria, BC. We are your source for high-quality, uniquely terrific garden art, delivered right to your door.
Casting Materials
Pieces are cast in a grey cement and aggregate mix and then stained.
The products can stay outside all year round, although bowls, fountains, and statues that collect water may crack when this water freezes and expands (this is true of all concrete).Pieces have been exposed to the harsh conditions of the Canadian prairie's winters for many years now, without any significant problems.
All pieces are available in a choice of 4 finishes; Ancient Stone, Basalt Grey, Western Slate and York Stone. These finishes are stains, they are ingrained into the surface of the concrete so they will not fade nor wash off. An acrylic sealer is also applied. The stains are hand applied so please expect slight variations in color.
Care of Pieces
A gentle wash with soapy water will remove surface dirt. You could power wash under a very low pressure, but be careful. The pieces are sealed and some people like to reseal the item every couple of years with a water-based acrylic sealer (available from hardware stores), although this is not essential. It will give it more of a low sheen though
If you chip the pieces, you will notice that the concrete is grey underneath.This can be touched up with a very small amount of paint on a brush. A light brushing or sponging will do, build up layers of different colors to blend in. The beauty of the finish is that as the color is so variegated, touch-ups do not have to be exact in color to match. Pieces can also be glued together with Epoxy, silicone or super glue and an epoxy putty can be used to fill small voids and painted afterwards.
Video tutorials about how to fix/ touch up can be viewed here.
