Bali Frieze

["John VanCamp" <jvcstnwrks@zzzzzzzzzzzzz>]

John,   There are several companies that commersially make patching
material.  Cathedral Stone, and Galloy & Van Etton come to mind.  Both will
make patch to match your stone, however, you probably don't need enough to
economically justify the expense. On the other hand, many of us make our own
patch using stone dust, and portland (white mostly) cement.  As Simon has
mentioned, drilling the back is a good source of dust.  However, if the
texture is real gritty, you might find that drilling gives you too fine of a
dust.

In that case, if you can create some small fragments or chips, you can then
grind them with the backside of a trowel or similar tool against a concrete
surface or harder stone. A little latex milk in the mixture really helps
with the bonding, and sometimes a little color needs to be added to get the
proper blend.  Powdered concrete dyes are not to hard to come up with --I
think that HD carries some.If the texture is real gritty, and the cracks
wide enough, a little fine sand could be added to the mix.  This is
something that you will need to play with, and let your test mix dry to see
its actual color against the stone.  One thing to remember, though, is that
patch is patch, and will show up like a sore thumb when the stone is wet, or
sealed.  It just takes the moisture differently.  That's my
experience,anyway,  maybe someone else knows how to avoid that.

Good luck,
John VanCamp / JVC Stoneworks