Ability’s mission was... to save one of Australia’s most important pieces of concrete! the Paint was utilised for this project, for it’s outstanding, long life, all weather resistance characteristics.

the Paint is one of Ability’s outstanding Geo® Paints coatings range, which are all polymer-modified inorganic mineral formulations guaranteed to have exceptionally high adhesion, resistance to UV radiation, oxidation, abrasion, skidding, slipping and paint degrading chemical solutions.

After 130 years of weather, this was the scenario facing Andrew Patience of Reubin Studios when offered the daunting task of restoring the much-loved Hochgurtel Fountain by the City of Melbourne.

Dating back to 1864, when designed and completed by Joseph Hochgurtel, now in the curtilage of a world heritage site, adjoining the magnificent Exhibition Building in Melbourne, the Hochgurtel Fountain is an important piece of Australia’s cultural heritage, cast in concrete. Unfortunately, the fountain was suffering from the ravages of time. Hoop iron reinforcement was starting to delaminate and expand due to corrosion resulting in concrete ‘cancer’.

Depictions of goannas, birds, wildflowers and children, cast in concrete, formed part of a delightful design for the structure. Time and the ravages of pollution and weather had started to take its toll on these design elements.

Repair work commenced as far back as 1994, with the most recent intervention being in 1999.
To use the word ‘repair’ understates the actual work involved. A strategy of conservation had to be adopted before any work could begin and Ability’s Mr Robert Barber, worked alongside several key figures on behalf of the City of Melbourne in the establishment and ongoing supervision of the restoration guidelines.

The first item to be addressed was to make a full archaeological survey of the fountain. Photographs and measurements were recorded. Casts of the finely detailed work were made for restoration of the damaged areas and retained for future use should further damage eventuate. The major repair that could not be delayed was to carefully remove the corroding hoop iron armatures, section by section, and to replace these with non-corroding stainless steel and subsequently covered with a special mortar. Any wire reinforcement not corroded was retained but passivated by a liberal application of metaphosporic acid.

Guided by Robert Barber, Andrew Patience and the repair team used a very low water content, lime rich repair mortar incorporating Onoda white cement. Careful control of the water content of the repair mortar ensured that the mix was to result in very low shrinkage, being barely damp to the touch. To ensure a good bond between new and old mortar surfaces Andrew made use of an innovative adhesion promoting and flexibilising admixture for concrete and mortar product from Ability called ADMIX 2000® which was added into the mortar mix.

Another Ability admixture product called Efflorein® Mark 2 powder was also used in the mortar to increase the workability of such a low water content mix and increase its resistance to water permeation as well as to prevent the occurrence of an encrusted bloom of crystalline efflorescence after it set.

Ability’s the Paint coating was used as a (first) primer coating to ‘catalyse’ the interface of the repaired structure prior to it being painted. Waterproof the Paint is remarkable in its affinity for concrete adhesion and durability, which made it ideal for this purpose. Due to failure of another paint used as a top coat, Ability’s the Paint was later also used as the final coat to coat the exterior of the fountain. This product which is made available in any colour, provided a waterproof, off-white, natural ‘cementitious’ appearance, matching the original, while providing enhanced protection from algae, fungus and mould attack in the wet spray environment of the fountain.

the Paint was also used to isolate the new stainless steel reinforcement from any existing mild steel reinforcement to prevent any galvanic effect.

After the successful top coating of half the structure - up to the top of the ‘fish’ tails of the magnificent mermaid and merman in 1995, and subsequently for the rest of the structure in 1999, the Hochgurtel Fountain is now totally coated with the Paint, which is guaranteed not to flake, peel or craze for 20 years.