[MassHistPres] Repair of monumental barrel-stave columns

[Myron Stachiw]

The East Woodstock Congregational Church (East Woodstock, CT), a Greek
Revival-Style church built  in 1834, is faced with the need to repair the
lower ends of its monumental, Tuscan order, barrel-stave columns.  Over the
years, the bottoms of the column staves have been shortened as deteriorated
material was cut back to stable wood, and new bases installed have deviated
from the proper Tuscan order bases.  They are now contemplating the best
methods to conduct repairs and extension of the column staves down to the
top of the appropriate bases.  A second and related issue is how to
construct and install the bases so that future deterioration be slowed or
stopped.  A possible solution being considered is the use of wood-plastic
composite material.  Have other communities/preservation professional had
experience repairing monumental wood barrel-stave columns?  Have you used
these wood-plastic composites?  What have been the results?  I have read
that there is a potential problem with shrinkage expansion of this material.
Are there any strategies that can help avoid this issue?  How big of a
problem is it?

-- 
Myron O. Stachiw
P.O. Box 193
18 Doctor Pike Road
East Woodstock, CT  06244-0193
tel.: 1-860-928-9190
cell: 1-860-208-6504
email: myron.stachiw at gmail.com
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