Ponce de Leon Courtyard Center Fountain Restoration
St. Augustine, Florida
2015
After proving my knowledge of brick cleaning with my poultices in the loggia, my boss gave me the honor of restoring the terracotta features of the center courtyard fountain. I could not use a poultice for the terracotta because it was protected by a masonry paint. I had to use a low powered pressure washer to first remove the plant growth and flaking paint, then scrub with stainless steel brushes before sanding the paint down. When I had all of the terracotta features carefully stripped, I used a liquid terracotta paint for the finish coat. My boss also gave me the go-ahead to scrub the algae off the glass mosaic tile to further improve the appearance of the fountain, even though it was not in our contract. It was a very long process, but the end result was very rewarding.
