Repairing Alabaster Cracks

Alabaster has been used for decorative purposes since ancient Egyptian times.

Sometimes mistaken for marble, alabaster is a relatively soft mineral rock used in stone carving, turning and mass production. Natural alabaster comes in a variety of colors, including white, gray, yellow, green or pink, and is commonly used to create household items such as bowls, lamps, statues and other decorative items. You can usually repair cracked alabaster with materials found at any hardware store or home and garden center.

Things You'll Need

• Microfiber cloths
• Denatured alcohol
• Cotton swabs
• Epoxy resin
• Pigment powder for epoxy (optional)
• Palette knife
• Medium-grit sandpaper
• Fine-grit sandpaper
• Stone polish
• Polishing pad
• Rotary tool (optional)

Instructions

1. Clean the cracked alabaster with a damp microfiber cloth.

2. Moisten a cotton swab with denatured alcohol and use it to spot clean the crack.

3. Mix the two parts of the epoxy resin as directed by the manufacturer. If you want to color the epoxy, add a small amount of pigment and stir until it's uniform. Add more pigment as necessary until the epoxy is the desired color.

4. Apply the epoxy resin to the alabaster crack with a palette knife. Scrape the palette knife over the crack to push the epoxy into the crack and smooth the surface.

5. Wipe the excess epoxy off with a soft cloth moistened with denatured alcohol. Allow the epoxy to dry overnight or as directed.

6. Sand the filled crack with medium- then fine-grit sandpaper until it's perfectly smooth

7. Apply a small amount of stone polish to a polishing pad. Rub the pad in a circular motion over the repaired area of the alabaster by hand or with a rotary tool until the piece looks shiny and uniform.

Tips & Warnings

• Ventilate the area when using denatured alcohol and epoxy.

• Denatured alcohol is flammable.

• Wear a dust mask when sanding alabaster.

References

• Restoration Advice: Alabaster
• Torrey Pines Gulls: Working With Epoxy