How to Restore Concrete Garden Statues
Garden statues are often made from concrete, which is a mixture of cement, sand and gravel. Concrete is a durable material, but it can develop cracks over time from the repeated freezing and melting of water on its surface. Restoring concrete garden statues generally involves filling the cracks with cement.
Things You'll Need:
- Portland cement
- Bucket
- Putty knife
- Scrub brush
- Alkaline cleaner
- Plastic wrap
- Plastic container
- Fill a bucket with hot water, and spray an alkaline cleaner onto the statue. Allow the cleaner to soak into the surface of the statue for a few minutes. Scrub the statue with a stiff brush to remove any dirt, grime or mold from its surface. Rinse the alkaline cleaner from the statue with the hot water. Repeat this step as needed to remove as much of the surface debris as possible from the statue.
- Remove any loose pieces of concrete or other debris from the cracks in the statue. This will allow you to fill the cracks with Portland cement.
- Mix a batch of cement in a disposable plastic container according to the manufacturer's instructions. This generally involves adding water to the dry cement until the mixture has the consistency of grout.
- Dampen the cracks in the statue with water. This will help the wet cement adhere to the existing concrete.
- Apply the wet cement to the cracks with a putty knife, ensuring that it forms a smooth surface over the crack. Allow the cement to dry for two hours.
- Spray the repaired surface with water, and cover it with plastic wrap. Spray it with water once a day for five days, replacing the plastic wrap each time.