New Concrete and Masonry Products for Spring 2020

These materials harness the versatility, performance, and visual appeal of masonry. Read about new products by Cultured Stone, INKAS, ABC Stone, Meridian Brick, Boral Building Products, Custom Building Products, Cintec North America, and Belgard.

Stone-veneer manufacturer Cultured Stone has extended a menu of its popular Hewn Stone earth tone hues to include Arctic, a bright white shade. The 1½"-thick units come in a range of formats including 3" x 8", 3" x 14", 5" x 14", 5" x 22", and 8" x 22".culturedstone.com

Safe-manufacturer INKAS has engineered a dust-free granulated cement, to make the material easier for its workers to handle and to increase its shelf life to about one year. (Powdered cement, when exposed to humidity, can harden in months.) A patent is pending for the company's granule-processing technique.inkassafes.com

What appears to be concrete is actually an alternative made of gypsum and recycled cellulose: Conclad adds an industrial finish to interior walls and ceilings similar to concrete but easier to install. Available in three shades of gray, and in 23" or 46" squares and 23" x 46", 46" x 92", and 46" x 115" panels, the lightweight formaldehyde-free units can be cut with woodworking tools.abcworldwidestone.com

Measuring 3 inches slimmer and weighing 70% less than full bricks, Meridian Brick's realistic Authintic veneer was designed for easy installation on exterior and interior walls. The versatile units can be specified in Modular (7⅞" x 21/4"), Queen (7⅞" x 23∕4"), and King (9⅝" x 2⅝").authinticbrick.com

Boral Building Products has rolled out a charcoal-inspired finish for one of its cement-based masonry cladding products. Versetta Stone's Ledgestone and Tight-Cut profiles can now be specified in Northern Ash, a new near-black shade. These approximately 36⅜" x 9½" siding units are mortarless, with predrilled holes for easy installation of nails or screws.versettastone.com

Engineered to produce dense joints that can resist shrinking and cracking, this polymer-fortified cement-based grout has been enhanced with a palette of eight new colors and an improved resistance to efflorescence (the salt deposits that form when water penetrates masonry tiles). Available sanded or unsanded, it accommodates joints up to 1/8".custombuildingproducts.com

Developed to shore up ­existing masonry tiles in complex restoration projects, Cintec North America's patented cement-based anchoring system employs a series of wire ties and cementitious grout to bear the load of the tiles that sit behind face brick masonry, within the wall assembly. The company's "micro-cement" technique is recommended for projects requiring blast protection, seismic reinforcement, and historic preservation.cintec.com

Paver and wall-products manufacturer Belgard (part of Oldcastle APG) has added a 12"-deep option to its budget-friendly precast-concrete retaining wall system. The hollowed-out structure uses a 7" connector to create the larger volume and provide structural strength. Additional stability is provided by ­reinforced soil in the cavity behind the face. Recommended for walls in excess of 15', the system also comes in 22" and 46" depths.belgard.com

Kelly Beamon was the products editor for Architectural Record and managed the monthly products newsletter Material World. Before joining the staff of RECORD, she worked as a senior editor for This Old House and Interior Design, and as the managing editor of Surface. As the executive editor of HD magazine, she moderated talks on design trends for HDExpo, an annual hospitality design conference held in Las Vegas. She has also been quoted on design by the New York Times, ABC News, and USA Today and has written columns on American house styles and kitchen and bath trends. She has a B.A. in English from Chatham University in Pittsburgh and 18 years of architecture and design writing to her credit. She resides in Brooklyn with two children, two guinea pigs, and threadbare period original furnishings by George Nelson, Kazuhide Takahama, Charles and Ray Eames, and Gustav Stickley.