Better to glue plaster figures, do-it-yourself restoration tools and rulers
Landscape sculpture enthusiasts often ask themselves the question: how to glue a figure in plaster or how to restore cracked paint. The shard is glued with glue, the damaged coating is removed, and then the surface of the sculpture is repainted. Plaster garden figures need to be constantly cared for, cleaned of dirt, treated with protective compounds.
Causes of damage to plaster garden figures
Plaster figurines and figurines are used to decorate a private plot, garden, park or square. Plaster sculptures are damaged by humidity, low or high temperatures, hail and a strong hurricane. The figurine can be accidentally crushed, for example with a ball, stone or kicked with garden tools. The sculpture can be damaged during play by a child or one of the pets (a dog).
Plaster is a very fragile material. It is best to keep these sculptures in the house or indoors, at a safe distance from children, guests, visitors, animals. True, the low cost, wide selection and beauty of plaster products make them an irreplaceable decorative element in landscape compositions.In case of damage, the figurine can be replaced or restored.
DIY restoration methods
You can bring damaged garden figures back to life yourself. The shard is reattached, the painting is restored. If necessary, the sculpture can be varnished, pre-treated with a primer.
For chips and cracks
If a piece of the figure has fallen off, it can be glued with Moment super-glue or PVA glue mixed with gypsum. Before restoration, all fragments should be wiped with a dry brush, dust residues removed and dried if necessary.
A small chip can be glued with liquid nails, gypsum mounting glue or an adhesive mixture used when laying foam or airy blocks. The hole can be covered with plaster putty. The seam is putty with a mixture of plaster, then polished.
Small cracks are filled with any adhesive, then coated with acrylic paint and primed to prevent moisture penetration.
Restoration of paintings
If the paint is cracked on the sculpture, it can be repaired. Usually plaster figures are painted with oil paints, less often with acrylic paints. In addition, the product is coated with a special protective compound that protects against humidity and temperature extremes.
To restore a small area, you can use a set of children's acrylic or oil paints, they are sold at any office supply store. First, you need to choose the right color from a small plastic board. Then the paint is applied to a dry sculpture, cleaned of the old coating. When completely dry, the plaster figure can be coated with a primer or varnish.
Complete painting
The plaster figure can be completely colored with paints. Before work, the figure is treated with acrylic or any other construction primer and left to dry. The figurine is then painted with oil or acrylic paint for outdoor use. You can buy baby kits in several colors at a stationery store.
Before using oil paint, the surface is pre-coated with an alcohol solution of rosin or a primer. A gypsum figure can be painted with white or acrylic oil paint, adding to it a special color scheme of the desired shade. The figurine can be covered with gold, silver or bronze acrylic paint. Apply the paint with a synthetic brush. Staining is done in 2-3 layers, in which case the color will be more saturated. After complete drying, the sculpture is again primed and varnished to add shine.
Opening
The plaster figurine can be coated with a colorless oil, glossy or matt acrylic varnish, as well as varnish on wax or silicone, polyurethane base. The surface is varnished in 2-3 layers. The sculpture will shine from glossy varnish, and to make the figure as natural as possible, it is better to use a matte composition.
Varnish is used to protect the surface from moisture, so that the painted figures do not peel off, and the paint does not crack, peel off.
In which cases repair will not help
A plaster product cannot be restored if its surface has not been covered with a protective agent or varnish. The figurine soaked in moisture becomes crumbly and crumbles within a few months. If the statuette falls and breaks into small fragments, there is no point in restoring it. In any case, the seams and joints will be visible, moreover, such a product will collapse under any mechanical shock.
Better to buy a new garden sculpture. Plaster products are not so expensive; once every 5 years, the design of the garden can be updated by replacing old figures with new ones. The short life of plaster sculptures is offset by their low cost.
Rules of care
The garden figurine should be cleaned of dirt at least once at the end of the warm season. Wash it in cold, soapy water using a soft washcloth. The main enemy that destroys any plaster product is water. The figure will not deteriorate when exposed to moisture if varnished with a wax base.
It is necessary to varnish not only the visible surface, but also the bottom of the sculpture.
For the winter, it is better to wrap the garden figures in plastic wrap, having pre-treated each soil with antifungal properties. In the spring, the coating material can be removed.
The plaster sculpture does not require any special care during the summer. True, you should always remember that this material is very fragile, it can break, and an unvarnished surface will absorb moisture. Even a lacquered figurine will collapse under the influence of moisture if it is in a low place or in a place of rainwater drainage.Usually, manufacturers of plaster sculptures have to treat them with primer and varnishes to give their products strength and durability. In the street, in the open air, the statuette will last 5 to 10 years.