Expert: Richard Taylor, AIA - 3/13/2007

Question
I own a condo in a brick building from 1929. The wood ramshead pediment over the front door has decayed badly and needs to be replaced. We've considered going with a prefab one, but the ones online are quite shallow (4" or so) and their width is a little off. A new wood one will cost us around $4,000, which is a bit much. We've thought of trying to restore the existing one, but parts of it are so rotted that they're falling off! Is it possible to use the current pediment as a mold (after repairing the worst damage)? Do you have any suggestions on how we might proceed? Thanks.  

Answer
Good morning Roger - thanks for your question!

Rotting exterior wood is a common problem with older homes.  When the details go, too often they're replaced with something far less attractive and appropriate.  I applaud your efforts to restore the original detail!

You can repair the existing pediment, even though it's badly damaged.  There are a number of products that you can use to recast the existing parts of the pediment and recreate the missing or very badly damaged pieces.  It takes some work, but should be less expensive than replacing the pediment entirely.

As you suspected, the basic process is to make a latex mould of the existing parts, and recast them in composite materials.  These newly-cast parts can be re-attached to the original structure.

The best sources for the products and knowledge you need can be found in The Old House Journal (www.oldhousejournal.com) and in Traditional Building magazine (www.traditional-building.com).  Both have extensive directories of restoration products, and with a little searching you'll find articles on the processes.

One manufacturer of moulding/casting materials is Abatron (www.abatron.com).  The website is a little technical, but it addresses just the problem you're having.  There are also several other manufacturers of similar products.

Hope this helps!

Richard Taylor, AIA

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