Set in stone
Cast stone, all made and textured by hand to give a stunning finish.
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Set in Stone
Previously rather amusingly named - 'I can't believe it's not pierre' was created out of necessity. With hundreds of square metres of walling stone, flagstones, cobbles and traditional Périgourdine pisé flooring needed as well as gate piers, ornate fireplaces, elaborate chimney stacks and stone pillars for the renovations at Le Haut Repaire, it was either a case of get creative or get an extra mortgage. Over the last 5 years, side by side with other artisans, we have developed and are on the way to perfecting the techniques in creating 'stone' . The process involves over 13 different stages from adding natural pigments obtained from the ochres of Provence, to hand texturing each piece in order to accurately mimic how nature and indeed stone masons of a bygone era would have yielded such beautiful results. With stone that is essentially tailored to every project, regardless of colour and texture, essentially anything is possible. With this stone, you can dream big.
Why Choose Us?
The question we often ask ourselves is - would we have gone with real stone if we could have afforded it?
Well, the answer is, that depends. The problem with a lot of 'real' stone is that, these days, it comes almost 'laser' cut from the quarry. Also, the quarries these days seem only interested in obtaining stone from very even seams of stone. The stone is often superfine in texture with no colour variation. Whilst this might sound like a great idea, it often yields a product that actually looks artificial - like concrete. So what choices to you have?
1. Reclaimed stone. Arguably the best. If you are lucky enough to source the stone you need in reclaimed stone then well done. Old stone will have been quarried and worked in a much less laser-like fashion. The stone will have been hand finished and will likely be superb. However, the price will be incredibly high and it will be extremely hard to find, especially in the correct colour for your area.
2. Machine textured newly quarried stone. We know of one particularly high end stone supplier down in the Lot. Their products are excellent. However, for a decent flagstone floor the prices start at around 150 Euros / square metre. That is unfitted, no grouting and without delivery. Our product starts at about half that price and that includes installation, delivery and grouting / pointing. Also, with most of their good textures and finishes, they rely on the grain of the stone running parallel to the surface of the stone. This looks beautiful but is not suitable for exterior use due to rapid damage in frost. For exterior use, stone is used with grain running perpendicular to the surface of the stone. Sadly, this doesn't look anywhere near as good.
3. Cheap, mass produced stone appears more akin to concrete than limestone. It is very smooth, without character and very slippery when wet.
4. 'Set in Stone' Hand textured and finished cast limestone. It hasn't been made by squeezing tiny bits of calcium carbonate over millions of years. It has been made by using modern day binders to join tiny bits of calcium carbonate together. The final product is actually over 95% limestone. This product allows us to make products offsite, or in situ, of almost any dimension and shape, almost perfectly texture and colour matched and finished to look like real stone. It's cheaper, makes use of a waste product of the quarries, is long lasting and feels great to the touch. Arguably, it is has more pros to it than any of the other options listed.