Decorative CMU

Southwest building Blocks produces custom decorative CMU suited for all styles and budgets.  Prestige Stone custom architectural masonry units offer owners an economical and effective building system that is visually appealing, functional, and complementary to other materials like brick and stone. Our commitment to quality ensures consistent color and finish across the duration of your project.  Due to the custom nature of architectural block, most of our product is produced on demand for specific projects. Please contact us for custom color development, technical assistance, pricing, or to schedule production.

Hours of Operation:

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Closed

Split Face
As the name suggests, Split Face blocks are made by splitting the face of the block after it has cured. Available in a range of shapes and colors, this style features design flexibility, a rich, coarse texture to the unit and exposed aggregates resembling the look of a natural split stone. Integral color can be added with the use of iron oxide pigments resulting in a durable through-the-body colored product. The use of scores allows you to change scale while keeping the economy of a larger unit.

Smooth Face
Smooth Face blocks are made by combining pigments with carefully selected aggregates to create a block with a fine texture and muted finish. Available in a range of shapes and colors, this style can be made with flashing to emulate the appearance of utility brick. Talk to us about the availability of this block in variegated colors. The use of scores allows you to change scale while keeping the economy of a larger unit.

Ground Face
Ground Face blocks are made by combining pigments with nature’s strongest and most colorful aggregates and then grinding a thin layer of material off to expose the vibrancy of the aggregates. Available in a range of shapes and colors, this style features design flexibility and a smooth texture with a satin, low sheen finish. The distinct color of each aggregate creates a variegated look similar to limestone or marble but with the cost effectiveness of concrete masonry. The use of scores allows you to change scale while keeping the economy of a larger unit.

Blasted Face
Named for its old world charm, our Blasted Face is a Smooth Face block that is blasted with small steel shot to remove the surface layer and expose the texture of the aggregates beneath. This contemporary style has a finish similar to sandstone and has a slightly more textured look than a Smooth Face with more muted aggregate exposure than Ground Face.

Conrete Brick
Concrete Brick provides the tradition and rich pigmentation of clay brick with the efficiencies of concrete masonry. In addition to time savings, cost savings of 20-30% can be realized with one step, single-wythe installation that eliminates the structural back-up wall required for brick veneers. Typically these units are manufactured as a half-high unit to produce a scale similar to utility brick. They can be scored to produce a scale similar to closure brick.

Slump Block
In contrast to the precise dimensions of the straight-edged precision block, slump blocks are intentionally distorted during the manufacturing process to simulate the appearance of old adobe bricks. The rustic, rounded appearance of slump block is produced by utilizing a wetter than normal mixture that is subjected to an additional compression immediately upon ejection from the mold.

When specifying concrete masonry units, the dimensions are indicated in the following manner: width x height x length. Dimensions of slump blocks are usually expressed in terms of their nominal size, which is one-half an inch greater than their actual size. This half-inch difference accommodates the standard 1/2 inch mortar joint that is utilized with precision units. For example, a unit with the nominal dimensions of 8" x 4" x 16" would have actual dimensions of 7 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 15 1/2".