Last fall I was at a friends house. She's moving and had lots of stuff for sale. Some of you may remember that outdoor sink I got from her. Well... while was there I fell in love with an old bird bath she had. I told her is wanted to get rid of it, let me know. Before the holidays she said she sell it to me. woohooo! It's old and big and HEAVY! And was in her backyard and would be easiest if I just pulled my truck back there and loaded it directly. But the ground has been so wet, she was afraid I'd get stuck. So today was the day for me to go get it. I picked up my brother and we headed over there. Luckily her nephew was there and helped him load it on the truck. We were able to unload it ourselves using some ramps. It's 3 foot tall. Kinda dirty and has some cracks. But I love love love it! So here's my questions... to clean the "bath" part, is it okay to use diluted bleach? Or do you think it would cause some erosion? It looks in good shape, no cracks or chips. Just dirty. Now there are some cracks in the stand, as you can see. I recall seeing concrete patch stuff at the home center. Do you think that's the best way to go? And once I get it fixed, do you think I should give it a coat of paint? If so, is there a particularly kind that's good for concrete?
I use bleach to clean our bird 'aquatic centre' even adding 1 cup to the drinking water doesn't seem to bother them,they drink it and bath in it as well. I would not paint it or fix it in any way...once it is painted you will have to do it just about every 12 mths. The aged look is attractive, just like it is now. I will get a quote on postage to Australia if you find you no longer require it
I use diluted bleach on my bird feeders to clean them so it should be OK to use on the bird bath too. I always make sure that I rinse them thoroughly though - just in case. I wouldn't paint it for, as Chocolate says, you'd have to keep doing it on a yearly basis. It looks just right the way it is as it's nicely weathered and I think painting it would spoil its appearance. I don't know much about concrete filler but I'm sure your home centre could advise what's the best thing to use on the cracks. I'd be inclined to leave them as they are as they add character to the whole piece. Erm the postage and package to Scotland from Texas could be cheaper than sending it all the way to Australia. So ... if you do get fed up with it then I'd happily take it off your hands.
Nice find Cheryl. I put bleach water in a spray bottle and soak my birdbaths and fountains with it, then just hose them off.
I wished I could find one like that...that I could afford. If you are worried about water getting in the cracks, you could use a paintable calk to fill the cracks with and mix a little outdoor paint up to match and cover the white.
Your birdbath is a beauty Cheryl! It's so nice that your friend let you get it. I love the seahorses on it, very unusual. I would definitely not paint it, it has character with it's age. I have two old ones, and remember how heavy they were to move!!
I would not paint it either! I like it just the way it is!! I do know for a fact that postage to Oregon would be much cheaper than international!
Thanks everyone. I'm going out now with some bleach and a brush. I do like the aged look. But I am worried about the cracks. what if I were to fill them and just paint over that part to match the natural color? And about that postage.... Let's just say I could tell the weight of it on one side of truck while driving
While giving it a bath, figured I'd show you all the worst of the cracks. I really do worry about it breaking off one day (month? year?) Thoughts?
Yeah, but I'm IN Texas, so the postage would be even cheaper! And, there might be someone with a big ol' pickup coming my way that would drop it off here.
I can see why you're worried about those cracks. Maybe check with someone who repairs pools, or headstones or driveways and see what they would suggest. Maybe there is some kind of glue or epoxy that you can squirt down inside there to keep it from breaking apart some day. I think it would be easier to prevent the break than it would be to repair it after it happens
I bought some concrete repair Stuff. Comes in a tube like caulk. Haven't had the chance to use it yet because of the weather. I'm hoping it will add a few more years of life to it
Love your birdbath. I have mine out front for 25 years just put some bleach mixed with water on a hose attachment and wash & clean at the same time. Make sure you watch if any plants are surrounding it.
