Repairing a wall/gate installation

[Thrashsmith]

I've made a gate for some clients that involved removing the old hinge pin for the their old gate. I had no way of knowing that the shank on the pin would splay out into 2 arms and that removing it would half destroy their wall. (I thought it would just be straight & threaded like a 5 bar wooden gate hinge and would drill out easily and then I could resin in my replacement). I left part of it in the wall (red tape around the end) when I managed to get my grinder in there to chop off one of the arms, I didn't see any need to remove both arms completely & destroy the wall further.
Thankfully I discovered all this during a dummy run install to check the fit etc.
Anyway, now when it comes to the final fit I've got to rebuild the wall & cement in my hinge.

I've got literally no building experience and have never built any walls or anything with cement in the past so I want to use something ready mixed so that it doesn't rely on me judging the consistency of a mix. Can anyone recommend a product? I've used that Blue Circle post crete before, could I use that?

Because of the cracks running through the mortar I guess I'm also going to need to drill deeper into the wall and cement in some stainless threaded bar to reinforce it? I saved the mortar that came out when I got the existing hinge out so whatever cement I use I thought I could smash up the mortar I saved into a dust to mix into the top of the new mortar so the colour matches as best as possible.

Any advice would be great! Obviously I want to use something quick setting so I'm not going back multiple times over multiple days.

 

[slimjim]

Just buy a bag of ready mixed mortar from B&Q,

Don’t add the old stuff, you won’t get the colour match by adding it, and it will ruin the new stuff and make it weak,

Add some PVA glue mixed with water, and a little washing up liquid into the mix, mix it until it’s smooth, but still fairly stiff and slump free, clean the wall of all loose material and dust, brush on the pva and water mix, then build the wall,

Leave it for a few days.

 

[gaz1]

if you need to get it near to original you need to know the sharp sand method

its a grity sand thats used with normal builders sand and cement a 3x1x1 mix

 

[bigegg]

if you've never used it before, i recommend you at least make up a bucket full at home first and become familiar with it before you go anywhere near a customer.

as an example, if the mortar is too runny, its going to drip of your trowel and make a (permanent) mess -
or at least make you look less than professional.

maybe try sticking a few rocks together?

 

[Thrashsmith]

Aside from the mix I use, does reinforcing the wall by drilling in deeper & concreting in some threaded rod sound like a sensible addition, or not worth it?

How many days will a 3 - 1 mix take to set? I can either cement in my hinge as I rebuild the wall or I can resin it into the dried cement.

 

[fixerupper]

My advice would be find a friend who can do this for you , it would only take a hour or two .Someone who has a feel for mortar and can match the colour and look of the existing...You have made a very beautiful gate , so worth getting it installed neatly and properly. In a few months it will look like it grew there ... You will be happy and relaxed about it ,and the client will be happy ...so win win

 

[MCKDAVID]

what about anchoring the hinge pin in to place with chemical fixing material, leave the last couple of centimetres from the surface clear so you can fill with mortar. When the chemicals sets up, mix up the remaining "mortar dust" that came out and use that to patch / tie in to the old stuff. That way you've got a solid fix with the chemical, and left the original mortar for the "asthetics" finish

 

[Thrashsmith]

what about anchoring the hinge pin in to place with chemical fixing material, leave the last couple of centimetres from the surface clear so you can fill with mortar. When the chemicals sets up, mix up the remaining "mortar dust" that came out and use that to patch / tie in to the old stuff. That way you've got a solid fix with the chemical, and left the original mortar for the "asthetics" finish

I'd be using buckets of resin if I went down that route as the void is quite big. I think chemi fix is about £9 a tube & I'd need half a dozen.

I only ever intended to use the dust from the old mortar that I saved at the very top of the new mortar, for aesthetics, not to mix it in completely with the new stuff.

 

[Lazurus]

Try contacting Easy composites for advice on the resin, great company very helpful, I used their resins for my spheres.

 

[bigegg]

Ive been known to gripfill stone together - for a low (2ft) leaning retaining terrace wall, not freestanding.
Still standing at least 15 years later. (and may well still be 7 years after my last visit)

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

How hard is the stone....am wondering if you could just rebuild the wall and then drill/resin fix the gate hinge eye into position?

If it granite then forget that idea!