Owning a home comes with an extensive list of expected maintenance, repairs, and general chores. When the unexpected occurs, knowing about the right tools to address those challenges makes life just a little bit easier.
Finding a stone sill laying on the ground can certainly be classified as unexpected, but with the right products, it’s a fairly straight-forward project to tackle.
Failing mortar led to the demise of this particular sill. Much of what was remaining on the face of the house was crumbling and could be chipped off easily. This was likely the result of some loose caulking that allowed moisture behind the sill. In situations like this, the success of the repair is largely related to the preparation. The remaining caulk would need to be removed, along the rest of the loose and crumbly mortar.
What couldn’t be chipped away with a screwdriver was ground off with a rotary grinder. Any material left on the back of the sill was removed as well. Finally- any dust created by the grinder was cleaned up to ensure that a clean, dry surface was ready for a new adhesive.
With the surface ready, Aboweld 55-1™ was prepared as a new bonding agent for the sill. Aboweld is a heavy-duty, slump-resistant epoxy paste which bonds tenaciously to stone and concrete. Equal parts of Part A and Part B were thoroughly mixed to create the adhesive. A thick bed of the epoxy was then spread onto the back of the sill, as well as the top of the stones where the sill will rest. With a working-time of approximately 20-30 minutes, it was important to work quickly and attentively to get the sill set back into place.
With the sill installed into the bed of epoxy, wood supports were used to hold the sill level while the Aboweld 55-1 hardened.
It took 2-3 hours for the Aboweld to solidify enough to support the weight of the sill. Heat accelerates hardening while cold temperatures slow it down. The epoxy fully hardened within about 24 hours. After the Aboweld cured, a new bead of exterior silicone caulk was installed to prevent the moisture issues that caused the sill to fall off in the first place.
A video detailing the process of this repair can be found here.
For more information on Aboweld 55-1 or any of our other specialty adhesives, please give us a call. 800-445-1754
