Broken marble

[shirehorseman]

Hello everybody,
I apologise for not being on for absolutely ages, but it is all down to the fact that I have had a horrible time with illness. I will not go into detail unless I put somebody off having what I have had to go through, and I am off tomorrow morning for another two ops on my left arm.
needles to say that I am very stressed.
Anyway to the question.
Unfortunately I am not very steady on my feet and this has caused me to drop something onto the Marble base for the fire surround and it has broken in two (a clean break) :shock: but I have been quoted £190.00 for a new base, as I am on disability that is out of the question. I remember years ago watching a programme from the states where they repaired such things.
I found this on the web
http://www.repairproducts.co.uk/page73.htm
would it be practicle or would I be wasting my time.
Thanking you all in advance for any help in this matter
Kind regards.
Trev

 

[Racers]

Hi,

I would be tempted to glue it together with epoxy coloured to match the marble, and wait untill you are in a position to replace it if it didn't look good.

Wilcos epoxy is good stuff quite runny and sets rock hard.

Get well soon.

Pete

 

[GazPal]

I'm sorry to learn of your dilemma.

Attempting invisible/virtually invisible repairs on marble isn't impossible and using suitable adhesives certainly improves matters greatly, but opting for a particular colour more often than not leaves any repair attempt highlighted rather than unobtrusive. With this in mind I'd use a clear drying/transparent adhesive and bond both surfaces as closely as possible.

Options vary, but the best results are often obtained after cleaning both surfaces with acetone and via the use of clear drying epoxy resin adhesives, but you'll still be best advised to support the marble hearth by fitting it to a timber sub-strata such as 1/2"-3/4" ply (Using a silicone based adhesive). This enables you to accurately place parts together without risk of kinking the face surface, while also supporting the repair and preventing/reducing the likelihood of separation or further damage should it be stood upon or dinged again.

The reason for using clear rather than coloured adhesive is the fact you seldom achieve an accurate colour match and a poor colour match more often highlights the damage/repair rather than hide it. Once the repair has dried you can dress back any residual glue using wetted fine wet & dry papers & sanding block before using acrylic or oil paints to touch up and blend the repair into it's surroundings (Read up on marbling tehniques and marble restoration).

Once done, a simple flash coat of clear poly varnish can be used to seal both marble and the repair.

 

[AndyT]

It should be covered by your buildings insurance (not contents) under 'fixtures and fittings' - check before you spend anything or start experimenting with a diy repair.

 

[ondablade]

Epoxy definitely sticks marble well. The key to a good repair as Gaz says is that the pieces are precisely repositioned/reassembled making sure there are no shards or specks loose in the joint to give a hairline joint. Trial fits, minimal glue on both surfaces and clamping are advisable.

Missing chips on the line of the crack kind of mess things up. Let the surplus epoxy set until it's well solid, but not hard - then scrape any excess off with a backed razor blade. This tends to leave any small holes or marks filled too.

A polish up with some rubbing compound can help disappear the joint - but only when the epoxy is rock hard. (which actually takes maybe a week even though the stuff has been set since after a few hours...