What's the best way to fill this reliably?

[Driller]

Metal basement door and stone arched surround.

Plaster? Ciment with latex primer?

What would work best?

[Simpo Two]

Waste amalgam?

[cat with a hat]

I think you're overthinking it..

[spikeyhead]

Is it me or will the pointing on those bricks will cause them to blow?

[bobtail4x4]

spikeyhead said:

Is it me or will the pointing on those bricks will cause them to blow?

looks like the start of rendering the wall?

[Driller]

What I mean is that by just filling it with cement, as it's such a small amount surely after a while it will start to crack and detach itself? (This is the principle with teeth anyway ) Also, the metal frame is surely not very retentive/supportive which can't help matters.

What looks like rendering is from the 50s where they butchered the place to turn it into an institution. We put it back the way it was supposed to be but there a few left over things like this.

[Elysium]

The metal frame is going to expand and contract so you need a flexible mastic.

I would try some frame sealant. For example:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/nemesis-mighty-frame-gla...

[Driller]

Brilliant tip thanks for that. I had a feeling yhe frame woukd cause problems.

[Saleen836]

Expanding foam to fill the hole/gap and this will also give a base for the flexible sealent to finish

[Driller]

Yeah thought of expanding foam but what can you finish over the top of that with? Resistance over time is a worry too.

In the middle the gap is 100mm high.

[Mr GrimNasty]

Not entirely sure what you want to achieve but I'm sure you could bodge something with foam, exterior grade mesh/angle bead and render over.

[Driller]

Not entirely sure what I want to achieve? Isn't it patently obvious I want fill the bloody hole in?!

Your mesh idea is interesting, that may avoid cracking I guess.

[Saleen836]

Driller said:

Yeah thought of expanding foam but what can you finish over the top of that with? Resistance over time is a worry too.

In the middle the gap is 100mm high.

Finish over it with frame sealent, as for the mesh and render..if the door is in use there is a very good chance the render will crack, how about filling the gap with foam and then covering with a piece of aluminium cut to size/shape then painted to match the door as a cover plate, just fix this to the bricks and not the frame and any expansion wont affect it?

[seeby]

Get a piece of Ali and bend to an "L" shape to the size of the frame height,and the depth out to the front face of the brickwork ,fix to the door frame therefore providing a ledge ,and then just fill in the gap with some stiff mixed repair mortar .