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Our Faraway Garden planters, seats and objects for the garden are handcrafted and therefore one-of-a-kind. This means there will be slight colour variations from piece to piece, reflecting the natural materials used in the cast stone production process.
Our pieces are made in either dry cast stone or concrete.
Here is a brief overview explaining the difference between the two variations of production undertaken at Faraway Garden. Rest assured that both methods require a high level of expertise and use premium materials - and each has its place in the garden or outdoor setting.
Dry cast pieces are handmade using a combination of washed sand, cement and crushed stone. A little water is added – just enough to hold the composite together. The mixture is then hand packed into a mould and left to cure. Curing usually takes a week, during which time the piece hardens and can be removed from the mould. The dry cast looks like carved sandstone. The rough surface promotes weathering and a beautiful ageing effect in a relatively short amount of time.
Concrete, in contrast, is made using a wet cast process, whereby water is added to the cement, sand and a crushed stone mix and this is then poured into a mould. The mould is shaken so that the concrete can cover all the details of the mould. A slurry comes to the outer edges of the mould which creates the smooth surface of concrete. Air bubbles also come to the surface which are often visible and add character. Once the piece has hardened, it is removed from the mould. The smooth surface means ageing will take longer so your piece will stay in its original condition for longer.
To maintain our quality and ensure the best outcome in the production of our pieces, we have a curing time of two weeks. While we have many of our items in stock, some are made on request and will therefore have a longer lead time.
