Repairing cracks on the column and wall

“Oh no! The paintwork and plaster on the column is cracked and peeling off. This is so ugly!” exclaimed my wife.

Don’t be alarmed by such a thing. It is a small matter and can be fixed by DIY.

See the cracks on the Roman column base? Is this column going to topple?

Don’t worry, be happy. It is only a surface crack. “This type of crack normally appears at the joint between the building foundation and the column.” explained one building engineer. The blackened line is due to bacteria growth in the groove.

This is a small repair job but requires a few trips for the repair man. Why?

Trip 1 involves scraping off the plaster near the damaged area, removing the dirt and bacteria growth in the cracked groove, washing the area and letting it dry.

Trip 2 entails filling the affected area with new plaster or instant putty filler and leaving it to harden.

Trip 3 will be to repaint the restored surface.

You can do this DIY at your convenience.

Tools required are a drill, scrapper, washing brush and painting brush.

Materials needed are putty filler and weather-proof emulsion paint.

Cost of materials:-

Putty filler 1 liter, RM10.00

Weather-proof emulsion paint 1 liter, RM25.00

Scrapper – 2 pieces, RM7.00

Washing brush, RM4.50

Painting brush, RM3.50

Total time required is about 4 hours.

First, use a drill to remove the dirt and the bacteria in the crack. Drill the cracked line to at least 4mm width for easy filling of the putty filler. Wash and brush the drilled groove to remove dust and dirt. Let the groove dry well before filling in the putty filler to ensure optimal adhesiveness. Wait for a couple of days before repainting the patched area.

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The whole job costs less than RM100. If you were to call a contractor, he would be very reluctant to undertake this small job as he couldn’t charge you “much”. His “not much” is around RM800.00 but to the owner, it may mean a big hole in the pocket!

So, it pays to be a DIY handy man at home. You would avoid the headache of workmen moving in and out of your house but most of all you save your money.