Weight taken out, presence left in
Foam Columns, Pillars & Balustrades
Round and square columns, fluted or spiral shafts, capitals and bases, pilasters, and full balustrade runs. Cast stone presence without the crane, the cracked corners, or the freight bill.
A column is the single most expensive looking thing you can put on a building, and traditionally it is also one of the most expensive to actually put there. A cast stone column has to be craned or dollied into place, it wants a footing designed for its weight, and if a corner chips on the way in you are waiting weeks on a replacement.
We fabricate columns, pillars, pilasters, and balustrades in foam so the look survives the budget. The shaft, capital, and base are cut to your dimensions, hard coated, and finished. Two people carry what four people used to. If something gets damaged on site we can usually have a replacement piece back out to you quickly, because we cut it here in St. George rather than ordering it in.
What we make
Round and square columns
Smooth, fluted, spiral, or tapered shafts in the diameter and height your opening needs, split or solid depending on whether they wrap a post.
Capitals and bases
Classical, tuscan, or a profile of your own. Sized to the shaft so the proportion actually looks right instead of top heavy.
Pilasters and half columns
Flat backed columns for walls, entries, and fireplace surrounds where a full round would eat the space.
Balusters and rail
Turned balusters with top rail and bottom rail, cut as a system so the spacing comes out even across the run.
Entry and porte cochere columns
The tall, heavy looking pieces at a main entrance, built light enough to set without shutting down the drive.
Column wraps
Structural posts already standing? We wrap them, so the steel or timber does the work and the foam does the looking.
The process
How we build a column package
- 01
Measure the opening
Height floor to beam, the diameter you want, and whether the column is carrying load or wrapping something that is. Photos of the space help more than you would think.
- 02
Proportion and quote
We set the shaft, capital, and base proportions against the height so it reads correctly from the street, then quote the set.
- 03
Cut, coat, finish
Shafts are cut and shaped, flutes and spirals included, then hard coated and finished in the texture and color you picked.
- 04
Set on site
Wraps go on in halves around the post and close up. Solid columns set on the base. Light enough for a two person crew and no lift.
Photos
Columns, pillars & balustrades, out of this shop.
Good to know
Columns, pillars & balustrades, answered
Can a foam column carry weight?
The foam itself is not a structural member. In almost every install the load is carried by a post, a steel column, or a beam, and our column wraps it. If you need a column that carries load, tell us what is above it and we will build the wrap to fit around the structure your engineer specifies.
Do you do spiral and fluted shafts?
Yes. The spiral columns on the pergola in our gallery are ours. Flutes, spirals, reeding, and tapers are all cut here, and they repeat exactly across a set so all six columns on a porch match.
How do balustrades get installed?
As a system. Bottom rail, balusters, top rail, and end posts are cut to the run so the spacing comes out even, then set and fastened on site. We give you the layout so nobody is doing math on a ladder.
What if a piece gets damaged during construction?
Call us. We cut here in St. George, so a replacement is usually a short turnaround instead of a reorder from out of state. That alone is why a lot of contractors switch.
Also from the shop
The rest of what we make.
Start a project
Ready to price your columns, pillars and balustrades?
Send dimensions, a sketch, a plan sheet, or a photo of something you liked. You will get a real answer on whether it is doable and what it takes, not a runaround.
- Call or text(801) 633-5120
- Shop3292 Deseret Dr S, Unit B2, St. George, UT 84790
Shop visits are by appointment so somebody is there to walk you through samples and finishes.