How To Repair Concrete Animals

How to repair broken physical statues

A broken heron statue. (Reader Submitted Photo)

QI have a statue of a blueish heron, but the neck is broken. The statue is about iv feet tall, and I recollect it is made of physical or a composite of physical and another fabric. I would like to have it repaired, simply I take contacted a few lawn and garden centers that deport statues and also a memorial headstone company to no avail. Do you know who can practise this? I would be willing to travel to other parts of Virginia, Maryland or Due west Virginia.

Herndon

AYou're correct: Many lawn and garden stores that carry physical statues don't do repairs. One that does is Harper'due south Bronze & H2o Gardens in Harrisonburg, Va. (540-434-8978;www.harperslawnornaments.com). Merely information technology's a two-hour drive from your home. Owner Doug Harper said the repair would cost about $100. That'due south probably more than it would cost to supersede the slice.

To salvage you the bulldoze and perhaps cut the repair beak, Harper suggested taking the statue to a local automobile repair shop and asking them to straighten the metal reinforcing in the neck and patch around information technology with Bondo Trunk Filler.

Bondo is also among the recommendations from Lisa Puentes, a representative for Massarelli's (609-567-9700; www.massarelli.com), a manufacturer in New Bailiwick of jersey that supplies physical statuary and garden ornaments (including iv-foot-tall heron statues) to the Meadows Farms Nurseries stores in the Washington surface area. Puentes suggested Bondo especially for make clean breaks. For pocket-size cracks, she recommends using a concrete crack sealant that comes in a tube. For breaks where chunks are missing, as in your statue, she suggests InstaCrete, an epoxy made by Polymeric Systems (world wide web.polymericsystems.com). "It's about like a putty, but information technology dries hard similar concrete," she said. "Pause off however much you need and mold it to fit in around the neck." Once the patch hardens, yous can sand it and then paint the whole statue with an outside latex acrylic pigment to give it a compatible appearance.

Charles Sthreshley, who makes concrete garden ornaments at Sthreshley Studio in Ashland, Va., (804-752-7888; www.concrete-art.com) but repairs only pieces he'due south made, said y'all might need to add together some reinforcing, such every bit quarter-inch metal mesh (sold as "hardware material" at hardware stores) before you add the patch material. Be sure to clean away any loose textile first. He suggests using a concrete patching product without gravel, such as Quikrete Concrete Resurfacer or Quikrete Quick-Setting Cement).

If y'all have that approach, seal the existing physical edges first with a physical primer, available at edifice supply companies. Then prepare the concrete patch cloth, mixing in every bit little water as possible. Article of clothing rubber gloves so you can press the material into place and polish information technology with your hands. You might also desire a minor trowel or an old kitchen pocketknife or spoon for adding surface details. Products that contain Portland cement gain strength if they stay damp while the concrete is curing. So mist the area periodically over the next vi hours or so, and go along the statue covered with plastic for several days. Look a calendar month for the concrete to cure thoroughly before you seal or paint.

YOUR Plow

Three readers offer their own solutions to the problem of having garage doors stained by birds that perch there to see their reflection in the door's windows (How To, April 11).

I reader in Haymarket uses scare tactics. "I thought all your solutions were good, but my solution . . . is a $ane rubber snake purchased at a dollar store. No joke, the snake has worked at our front door, minor basement window and about the outdoor Ac unit. Of course information technology startled the UPS guy the first time he saw it on the front end footstep and the home inspector made mention of it last week in his report, only the birds stopped immediately pecking at their reflection. First sign of robins in the jump, the snake comes out, remaining on duty until winter."

Another reader in Haymarket recommends wiping the outside of the windows with a bar of soap. "This dulls the reflective surface of the glass and prevents the birds from seeing what they think is a rival bird invading their territory. Birds are usually territorial during their nesting season. Once it's over, they terminate chasing rivals away. This won't assist with the staining problem, but should aid them lose interest in the 'invaders,' "

And a third idea comes from Fairfax Station, where a reader suggested post-obit the Audubon Gild's advice of putting decals of bird shapes on the glass. One neighbour had skilful results with a simple bird image downloaded online.

Have a problem in your home? Ship questions to localliving@washpost.com. Put "How To" in the subject line, tell united states where yous alive and endeavour to include a photo.

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How To Repair Concrete Animals,

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/how-to-repair-broken-concrete-statues/2013/05/14/6648ca0e-ae8b-11e2-8bf6-e70cb6ae066e_story.html

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