The panel sits next to real masonry
Extension of a listed elevation, infill on a period terrace, plinth beside a stone wall. If real bricks are within eyeshot, the precast has to hold up next to them.
Faux masonry · Brick and stone
Faux brick and stone that reads as real masonry.
A brick-look precast panel that says 'it's a precast panel' from thirty metres is a failure. We take a squeeze of the actual reference brick or stone course and build the formliner from that — not from a catalogue.
When it fits
Where faux masonry is the right specification.
You need the coursework consistent
A machine-laid brick face is the wrong texture; a hand-laid course is the right one. We build the setout to match the reference wall's course pattern.
The mortar joint reads on the panel
Mortar depth, joint colour, joint tooling all read on a precast face. The formliner defines the joint; the specifier decides the colour.
A real wall is impractical
Wall thickness, weight, load-in constraints on a tight site. Faux masonry gets you the reading of masonry with the buildability of precast.
The choice
How we build faux masonry formliners.
We work from the reference material where we can — the actual brick, or a taken silicone squeeze of the wall face. Where the reference isn't available (a period wall on a listed elevation the client can't touch), we work from measured photography and a physical brick with the same course dimensions.
The setout is done on drawing before the pattern is built. Perpends align, headers and stretchers land where they should, and the joint depth is set to what reads correctly at the intended viewing distance.
The formliner itself is polyurethane in almost every case — brick and stone are simple enough surfaces that silicone's fine-detail advantage isn't worth the cost. Where the reference is genuinely intricate (carved stone, moulded brick), we'll say and we'll spec silicone.
What we need
To quote this properly.
A brick or stone sample from the reference
One brick or one piece of stone, if possible. If not, high-resolution photography and dimensioning.
The course setout you want
Stretcher bond, Flemish bond, ashlar course. And whether specials (headers, closers) are needed.
Where the panel meets real masonry
So perpends and courses align at the junction, not against the mould.
Viewing distance from the finished wall
Determines joint depth and how sharp the arris needs to be.
The honest bit
Faux masonry has a ceiling.
Faux brick and stone is very good, up to a certain viewing distance. Under two metres, the eye can start to read the repetition — the same brick face appearing three times in a row is a giveaway. On close-viewed elevations we plan the course to break the repeat, but we won't pretend the panel is real from arm's length.
Colour is a wet-cast decision, not a mould decision. We spec the mould to give you the joint and the face texture. The concrete mix and any face pigment is your producer's or your architect's call. We'll happily talk about what works, but we're not selling the colour.
Related
Where this fits in the wider system.
At a glance
The ideas in pictures.
Planning liners across a wall
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From sample to finished cast
- 01Sample, drawing or scanWhat the finish must match
- 02Master patternCarved, machined or taken from the original
- 03Liner or mouldMade in the right elastomer
- 04Trial castChecked with your mix
- 05Production castsLiner reused across the run
- 06Kept on fileReady for repeats
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Get in touch
Send us a photograph of the panel or the elevation.
One photograph tells us what surface you're chasing, and one line about the mix tells us what silicone or polyurethane will survive it.
Real people, a real workshop
You deal with the people who make it.
No call centre and no middlemen. When you contact TCI Construction, you speak to the team who design, build and check your mould.
- A real Warwickshire workshopUnit 15, Waterloo Park, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester B50 4JG.
- Real people on the phoneCall the team on 01789 224228, Monday to Friday.
- The same team on every jobDesign, production and aftercare come from the people you see here.
- Part of TCI GroupFive specialist brands, one engineering team. Visit TCI Group.
Thomas LaneManaging Director
George PrestonDesign & Project Manager
Kelly BallingerHead of Partnerships
Jim AndertonProduction Manager
TheodoreEmployee Welfare