diy solar

diy solar

Fixing a builder's mark

svetz

Works in theory! Practice? That's something else
Joined
Sep 20, 2019
Messages
7,201
Location
Key Largo
Originally there was a screen behind the "builder's mark"; but it's degraded leaving a hole between the outside and inner-outer wall (no idea what's inbetween, but probably best to repair it before something takes up residence). Any ideas how to rescreen or fix this?

Capture.PNG
 
No access from the inside. It's embedded in the stucco, no way to get to the back AFAIK.
 
Then perhaps you can rough up the back side from the front opening, epoxy a ridge to attach screen to? Not sure...
 
Loop holding wire through a replacement patch of screen so you can pull on it and anchor it to maintain pressure. Knock the inside surface down with a strong solvent / cleaner to give the epoxy a decent surface to adhere too (solvent on rag, poke through holes with finger and wipe around). Odds on it's already rough enough but it can't hurt to rough it up a bit more, just make sure you clean it after roughing it up. Mix up and apply epoxy to rear edge and pull patch forward hard enough that the epoxy will go through the mesh and anchor it for the full curing duration of the epoxy and finally pull the hold wire out.

That's something similar to how fibro sheeting is repaired here - pull the patch up against the rear surface, let it cure, then fill with more epoxy / filler as level with the exterior surface as possible, and if need be sand down to meet the surface taking care to not hit the fibro itself since its full of asbestos.
 
Last edited:
So, you know what happens when you put things off? Yep... a Gecko moves in... he was big ... well over a foot, didn't want to seal him in so didn't do much thinking he'd leave soon. Months later a bee swarm checked it out (not sure if they were looking for a new home or in a gecko garden war), but they only stayed a few days. When the smoke cleared, nobody was home (verified with the scope).

Decided it was time to do something about it.

I used a couple of those big sponges you use for washing cars and stuff them through the holes - the sponge wanting to expand kept it snug against the back of the mark without puffing out. With the "big" openings covered I started with an extra gooey stucco layer to get the sponge to suck some in, then put a few more layers of stucco over the sponge and screen remnants for a good hold/thickness and painted the inside bits in black so they'd look like shadow. To my general surprise it seems to be working out rather well.
1631115153306.png

Now all I need do is a light sanding around the mark to get the excess stucco off and then paint the mark (wife needs to pick the color and I know I'm going to have to repaint the rest of the house trim in the same color so that'll be fun ; -).
 
Back
Top