Column Sets: Complete Lightweight Rendered Column Packages
Building a feature column from separate parts — a shaft, a base and a capital — means sourcing and matching three components before the proportions and profile even reach site. Unitex column sets solve that by supplying the base, shaft and capping together as one matched package, in the same lightweight EPS and rendered finish used across the Uni-Shape range, so the proportions are right from the start and the whole column goes up as one coordinated job.
What is a Unitex column set?
A column set is a complete column package — base, shaft and capping — supplied together as part of the Uni-Shape range of architectural profiles and columns. Each component is moulded from lightweight EPS and finished with a durable render coat, matched in scale and profile so the finished column reads as a single considered feature rather than three separately sourced parts. Column sets sit alongside arches and sweeps, balusters, corbels and window architraves within the broader range.
Why builders and renderers choose column sets
Ordering a column set means one coordinated purchase instead of separately specifying a base, shaft and capping and checking they’ll match once they’re all on site. Because the components are designed together, the proportions are correct without extra measuring or adjustment, which saves time on site as well as at the ordering stage. The lightweight EPS core also means a full column assembly is considerably easier to handle and fix than an equivalent built from solid masonry, particularly on an elevated verandah or portico. Where a project needs a specific height, diameter or profile, custom sizing is available, supported by in-house CAD draftsmen and moulding specialists.
Application and substrates
Column sets are fixed as a complete vertical feature — typically supporting a verandah or portico structure — and finished with the same base-coat and top-coat system used across the broader Unitex range. Because a column carries structural load in most applications, correct fixing to the technical manual is essential, and this is a detail worth confirming with a Technical Sales Representative at the specification stage rather than after installation.
When to choose a column set vs individual components
A complete column set suits a new verandah, portico or entry feature being built from scratch, where base, shaft and capping are all needed and matched proportions matter. Where an existing column only needs one component repaired or replaced — a cracked base, for instance, with a sound shaft and capital — a standalone Column Base or Column Capping moulding is usually the simpler option rather than replacing the whole assembly.
Where column sets work well
Column sets suit new project homes and renovations alike, wherever a verandah, portico or feature entry calls for a genuine column rather than a simple post — delivering the proportions and finish of a traditional masonry column without the weight or on-site forming work.
Backed by 40+ years of Australian manufacturing
Like the rest of the Uni-Shape range, column sets are designed with Australian conditions and construction practice in mind rather than adapted from an overseas catalogue. Column sets are manufactured as part of the wider Unitex range in Dandenong South, Victoria, drawing on more than 40 years of local render and moulding manufacturing experience. Since becoming part of the global Sto Group in 2019, Unitex has had access to international facade R&D alongside its own local development, and Technical Sales Representatives remain available to visit site and support correct specification and installation on individual jobs.
Common questions on column sets
Can a column set be custom-sized?
Yes — where a project needs a specific height, diameter or profile, the in-house CAD and moulding team can develop a custom set to suit.
Can individual components be ordered separately later?
Column base and column capping are also available as standalone mouldings, useful if one part of an existing column needs replacing down the track.
Do column sets carry structural load?
Confirm the structural role of any column with a Technical Sales Representative at the specification stage, since correct fixing is essential to both performance and warranty.
How many column sets does a typical verandah need?
This depends entirely on the span and design of the individual project — a Technical Sales Representative or the Plan Quote Service can work through quantities from a floor plan or elevation.
Explore the full architectural mouldings and columns range
Column sets sit within the wider architectural mouldings and columns range, alongside column base, column capping and balusters — worth reviewing individually where only one component of an existing column needs attention. For full specifications, sizing options and technical data, see the Unitex product range, or get in touch on 1800 RENDER to talk through a specific column feature. A stockist can also supply and quote the range directly.