I have an old desk that came out of the school in my grandpa’s home town. It’s not that old, I believe from the 50’s. I think it came out of a cooking classroom. It used to have swing out seats on the sides, but they are gone. The top is concrete, but some of the edges are cracked or have fallen off. Any suggestions on what product to use to repair it. The top is about a 1/2 inch thick over the plywood and about and inch think on the edges of the plywood. As always, thanks in advance. Sorry I do not have a digital camera. It would be easier to post photos.
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Replies
Are you sure it's concrete? I've got a stinkin feeling that it is a composite of some sort that relies on a heavy concentration of aspestos. Be careful cutting, breaking, grinding this. I hope I'm wrong.
Doc, I think sapwood is right. That was the age of John's Manville where everything they made seemed to have asbestos in it.. I put together a lot of JM sewer lines for my dad as a kid and we used to mix asbestos cement right out of the bag. Yikes !
Just to be on the safe side don't grind it or cut it. If its not producing dust of any type its probably safe enough to work around until you get a coat of concrete sealer on it. You can make repairs with concrete epoxy which you can sand to form but be carefull not to sand on the concrete.
Steve
aspestos.. What ya like bestest? I like aspestos
You can have it tested for asbestos, there are labs that you can send a small sample to, try looking in the yellow pages. As for repairs if it is a big piece missing you might drill holes in the edge epoxy in some all thread rod and use some concrete patch to make a repair. You would have to make some forms, maybe use 1/4 ply. Good luck.
Troy
Hi Doc... Concrete?? If the top has a glossy black/grey color to it, and there is no gritty surface feel, it might be soapstone. (sort of like slate). They used lots of soapstone for lab table tops and cooking area tops. It's relatively soft, can be cut with a hacksaw and is really durable. The best part is that it is like talc, (talcum powder) almost innert. If it's safe enough for a babys backside, it's safe enough for me. SawdustSteve
Doc: Paint shops have small asbestos test strips, might be worth a try, if your worried. Duke
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Thanks for all of your input. I know it's not soapstone as I work in a lab and I'm familiar with that. It's white/gray, has small grains of sand in it, and it looks almost like plaster. It also resembles pumice. It's been poured or shaped in place the way it's molded over plywood and wraps around the edges of the plywood like a countertop. I'll look into the test strips. Didn't know they were available. If I find a digital camera to use, I'll post photos. Thanks again.
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