I am assuming these are angels or animals - not costly statues made by an artist. Just scrub the statute very well with a scrub brush and detergent. Sandpaper over the old paint. (Or power wash) Rinse well. Let dry overnight. Spray paint well with good quality spray paint. It will fill some of the holes, but not all. You may want to do this a few times. Paint your details with colors or keep all one color. Let dry a day or so. Spray with a clear acrylic coating (spray paint). Let dry a day or so. You should do this for a few coats. It will not look new, but you can still get a lot of enjoyment of it. I have done this to many of my angel and animal statutes in my garden. The process will last several years, then you may have to redo eventually.
I realise a few years have passed since this was first asked. I repair artists sculptures. My last project was concrete elephants my Sculptor Stan Bonnar. They were cracked, weathered, bits missing and extremely pitted. The concrete had spalled from the metal armature.
I removed all the broken pieces, power washed it. Then coated it liberally in exterior pva , which you can get from a builders merchants ( I’m in Scotland so can’t recommend suppliers) . For thin areas, a slurry of cement mixed with a little clean water and a dollop of pva was brushed onto the surface, before it was totally dry, a slightly thicker mix was troweled on and smoothed out . The whole area was then covered in plastic film (Saran wrap?) and left for several days. The longer it’s left the stronger it becomes under the plastic.
if a piece is broken off drill into the two parts, insert a metal rod cut to size, it could be a bit of coat hanger wire for thin pieces, use the slurry to glue it together, wrap up tightly and leave it somewhere it won’t be disturbed. A watered down coat of the exterior pva will weatherproof it. The concrete can be painted with acrylic paints if required .
My fishpond made with cement and I painted it with roof seal.. started to crack a few weeks ago. I seal one and two others appear.. What can I do?Thank you
I realise a few years have passed since this was first asked. I repair artists sculptures. My last project was concrete elephants my Sculptor Stan Bonnar. They were cracked, weathered, bits missing and extremely pitted. The concrete had spalled from the metal armature.
I removed all the broken pieces, power washed it. Then coated it liberally in exterior pva , which you can get from a builders merchants ( I’m in Scotland so can’t recommend suppliers) . For thin areas, a slurry of cement mixed with a little clean water and a dollop of pva was brushed onto the surface, before it was totally dry, a slightly thicker mix was troweled on and smoothed out . The whole area was then covered in plastic film (Saran wrap?) and left for several days. The longer it’s left the stronger it becomes under the plastic.
if a piece is broken off drill into the two parts, insert a metal rod cut to size, it could be a bit of coat hanger wire for thin pieces, use the slurry to glue it together, wrap up tightly and leave it somewhere it won’t be disturbed. A watered down coat of the exterior pva will weatherproof it. The concrete can be painted with acrylic paints if required .