How Do You "Fix" A Rotted Tiki Bottom?

I have this AWESOME tiki that's really old and has a rotted bottom. Naturally, it won't stand up anymore 'cuz a) the bottom is no longer even, and b) the guy weighs about 500 pounds. It's made of some kind of REALLY heavy solid wood like eucaliptus or something, and takes a few guys just to lift it up to a standing position.

So, what's my options for making this baby able to stand up again. I don't want to cut the base and lose 6", but I can't think of any oher way that would be strong & safe enough to handle all that weight.

Whattaya got for me folks!?

Drill holes in the bottom, insert rebar and then mount it on/in a concrete base? Attach a steel fence post to the back and drop the post into concrete? Sink it partially in heavy boulders?

Hi - My suggestion isn't much different than the previous one, but I would proceed as follow:

1. Again, drill a hole into the base of the tiki sufficiently deep so as to reach well into solid, unrotted wood.

2. Thread a long lag-screw through a 3/4" slab of plywood into the hole you just drilled.

3. Next stand the tiki up on this temporary base and prop it so that it will not tip.

4. Finally, make a form around the base of the tiki and on top of the plywood and fill it with a water proof concrete mix that will not allow the "new" concrete base to draw water up to the wood.

Note: You can color the concrete so that it approximates the color of the wood or stain it later to match the wood.

Hey Lee,

Call up a metal fab guy there in Vegas and have him come out and take a look at your problem.

Everyone is correct in that your going to need to run something up into the bottom of this guy and hit solid wood for support, but my guess is that your going to be hard pressed to find a
lag(s) big enough, and long enough to work on this guy. I believe that your going to need to weld something to some thicker metal plate (maybe 1/2"?) You can then pour a little concrete pad some where and bolt this tiki and it's new base to that. This way you can move it if you need to.

If you were in SD, I would build this for you, but I don't think it will cost that much to have it done in Vegas. PM me with your number and I can go into more detail for you if you like.

Best, Babalu

an additional restoration approach that you might consider in tandem with the metal reinforcement (always good) is to allow the wood to dry out completely and then consolidate it with some kind of architectural resin/epoxy repair material.

ref. the preservation brief for historic log cabin repair:

http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/briefs/brief26.htm#Log%20Repair

The consolidant I've used the most is Abatron.

http://www.abatron.com/

I would have to agree with the restoration approach. I used to do restoration on historic homes, and agree with the need to preserve it rather than really altering. The way to go is to use an epoxy/resin hardener on the wood first, than repair the missing sections with an epoxy putty. I have used Abatron products with success, but at one point switched over to PC Woody products. They worked just as well, but were a good bit cheaper. Here's their site:

http://www.pcepoxy.com/woodrestoreprods.htm

You use the Rot Terminator to harden all of the existing wood, then the PC Woody epoxy paste to repair missing sections. I've used these on structural sill beams of older homes, so once finished, you base should support the rest of the tiki.

This is all real interesting stuff here. From what lee was telling me about this old tiki, quite a bit of the base is completely missing to the point that what was once a flat bottom, is now quite angled due to rot and complete wood loss. If I remember correctly what Lee said, there is an existing hole center bottom, about 2 - 3 inches in diameter, that would have been used to run some type of support up into the tiki...so it most likely has had some type of base prior in it's life...It would be very cool to see if a restoration of some type could build the bottom back up enough to be able to support the weight of this monster. Good Luck Lee! Please keep us posted. I would try some of these products mentioned above, it is certainly worth a try.

This made me remember this great thread- the tiki in it had a similar problem to what you describe.

I'd soak the base in Wood Hardener. It'll turn the soft wood hard again and it basically is only absorbed by the wood with rot and not the good healthy stuff. And it retaines the properties of wood, like expansion, etc. I can't think of the brand. In a yellow can. Min Wax! Yeah. You wanna stop the rot regardless and strengthen the wood. Then do whatever you see fit to make it stand again.

Lee,

Can you post some pictures?

Yeah, let's see some pictures so we can see how bad it is and how much repair it needs.

O.K., it took me two weeks, but here's a few shots of the bottom in question:

All of your suggestions have been great. And now that my wrist is about back to normal (I sprained it when I unloaded it from my truck), I might bribe my neighbor to come over and help me to lay this guy down on the ground so I can start "rebuilding". I think rebar and the rock-hardest resin will do the trick. I want it to be able to stand on it's own with just a few "L" brackets in the base to keep it from being "bumped". You can see where one used to be if you look close on the right side. Apparantly, this guy was on a concrete slab with a fat 8" long pole up the center to prevent lateral movement, and secured to the slab with four "L" brackets.

And, oddly enough, this guy actually still stands up on his own. There is JUST enough wood in the center to keep him upright. However, the slightest nudge will send him toppling over. I have him leaning against a cinder block wall right now, and he's standing quite solidly.

By the way, can anyone identify the wood? It might help to identify this big boy's age and birthplace.

Mahaloz!

[ Edited by: Tiki Lee's 2007-09-13 16:19 ]

looks like a beauty - can you show us the rest of it?

I think you were right about it being Eucalyptus. Another method I think I have not seen is this.
Bury 2 heavy pipe fence posts in cement leaving about 4 or 5 feet sticking up and about 1 foot apart. Back your tiki up to the pipes and drill a couple holes in each pipe and insert 12 inch lag bolts through the pipe and into the wood. It may not look great from the back but the pipes could be painted and hidden with plants. I think that could be done by 1 person and require no lifting of Heavy tiki.
Hope this helps.