Do-it-yourself repair of chipped acrylic bathtubs

In detail: do-it-yourself repair of chipped acrylic bathtubs from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Recently, expensive and massive cast-iron or quickly cooling and noisy steel bathtubs have been replaced by light, modern acrylic models. They perfectly retain heat, boast a wide range of sizes, a variety of colors and shapes.

High-quality acrylic bathtubs are quite expensive, the service life of such products, according to the manufacturer's warranty, is at least 15 years. However, during use, a crack or chip may appear on them, which spoil the appearance or even violate the tightness of the washing container. In this article we will tell you how you can repair an acrylic bath with your own hands.

Acrylic is a polymer material that has high performance characteristics. It is durable, wear-resistant and lightweight. Bathtubs made of this material have low thermal conductivity and a beautiful glossy sheen. Acrylic models are produced in a rectangular, oval, round, angular shape, the width of which is 70-170 cm, and the length is 120-190 cm. The operation of acrylic products requires compliance with special conditions, if ignored, it may be necessary to repair acrylic bathtubs:

Acrylic melts at a temperature of 150 degrees, so it is not allowed to pour boiling water into baths made of this material in order to avoid deformation.

Important! As a result of improper use, scratches, cracks or chips appear on the surface of the walls and bottom of the acrylic bath. These defects, as a rule, only spoil the appearance of the product, but do not affect the functionality of the wash container. To bring the bath to its original form, you can make repairs at home.

Video (click to play).

If during operation cracks, chips or scratches appear on the acrylic surface that spoil the appearance of the product, they must be urgently repaired. If left unattended, defects will enlarge, spread, and then cause the bath to fail. To repair cracks, chips or scratches on the surface, you can use the following methods:

The fastest but most expensive way is to replace the bathroom. If the life of the product is coming to an end, it can be replaced, in this case, it is more expedient than repaired.
In the case of abundant, neglected problems, you can turn to companies that repair acrylic bathtubs professionally. Without experience, it is not advisable to make a major reconstruction of the product, since it will do more harm than good.
The cheapest way to repair a crack or how much is to repair acrylic bathtubs with your own hands. In this case, only a special repair kit and a little time are required, and the termination can be done at home.

Note! If you are going to do your own DIY acrylic bath repair, you will need a polishing pad or ordinary sponge, bath polishing paste, sandpaper (800-2000 grit), a mixture for making liquid acrylic, alcohol, a drill, a spatula. To repair a small crack or scratch, acrylic is not needed, repairs can only be done with polishing.

In the process of improper use of the acrylic bath, small chips or holes may appear. Chips are of 2 types: shallow and deep. Minor scratches are removed with careful polishing. You can repair deep chips with liquid acrylic. When a chip is formed, act according to the following instructions.

The surface of the acrylic around the chip is carefully sanded with 800 grit sandpaper.

Important! If you plan to do the restoration of an acrylic bath with your own hands, when buying a repair kit, pay attention to the composition of acrylic. It must match the material from which the wash container is made, since different compositions have different properties, including thermal expansion.

If during operation a heavy or sharp object falls into an acrylic bath, a crack will appear on its surface. To stop the further spread of the defect, it is necessary to repair the coating immediately. This will require a repair kit for acrylic bathtubs and a drill. It is necessary to act according to the following instructions:

First of all, eliminate all the loads on the bath. Drain the water, free the container from heavy objects, cool.

Experienced craftsmen say that if you accurately select the color of liquid acrylic to match the bathtub, as well as carefully and carefully perform grinding, after repair the crack will be invisible even in bright light. It is better to purchase a repair kit from the same manufacturer that makes this bathtub model, otherwise the repaired places will look like dirty spots.

Acrylic baths have become frequent guests of modern bathrooms, because they are much lighter than cast iron, aesthetic, having different types of design. But over time, such products can be damaged, losing their former neat appearance. How to make an acrylic bath repair with your own hands and without involving the services of professional plumbers?

Image - Do-it-yourself repair of chipped acrylic bathtubs

Mechanical, arising from the careless use of hygiene items.

Chemical, under the influence of strong detergents that leave stains and other unaesthetic marks.

You can solve these problems by replacing the damaged bathtub with a new one. Or you can repair an acrylic bathtub with your own hands, restoring the product at a reasonable price.

Before starting the "restoration" of the bath, it is important to determine the color of the product and the material from which it is made. A mismatch in tone can greatly affect the result of the work done, and you don’t really want to redo one work twice!

During the restoration period, you will need the following acrylic bath repair kit.

A pair of rubber gloves.
Polished disc or sponge.
Bath paste.
Sandpaper from 2000 grit to 800 grit.
Liquid acrylic, to eliminate deeper chips.
Drill with a 0.5–1 mm drill.
Alcohol solution.
Soft, lint-free swab.

Professionals advise expanding the area of damage so that the adhesion of the old and new material does not differ visually, while the crack in depth and width must be increased by 2 mm.
The surface to be repaired must be degreased with alcohol in advance.
It is necessary to apply the mixture to the damaged area correctly, fresh acrylic should not rise above the old one and be deeper than it.
After the repair of the chipped acrylic bathtubs is completed, it is important to cover the area with tape and leave it to dry completely for 6–7 hours. It is advisable not to use the bathroom during this time.
After removing the protective film, treat the surface to be repaired with sandpaper, which is included in the repair kit for repairing acrylic bathtubs.

If the damage is not deep, they are superficial, then it will be very easy and simple to repair the acrylic coating of the bathtub.

Sandpaper of varying degrees of graininess cleans the damage, first large, at the end - fine.
After finishing sanding, it is required to treat the surface with acrylic bath polish.
In such cases, the repair of the plastic bathtub is completed, but if the scratch is deeper, then liquid acrylic will not be enough.

Cracks in the acrylic bath appear due to the fall of a heavy object, wear or other force majeure.They must be removed immediately after detection, so as not to render the entire product unusable.

Cracks in an acrylic bath repair using epoxy putty. The actions are performed as follows:

First, the damaged side is cleaned with coarse sandpaper.
Next, a drill drills 1 mm holes on each side of the crack.
The “blank” for the putty is washed out with a soapy solution, which, after drying, closes the hole.

The applied composition is aged for about 12 hours, after which the restoration area is polished.

How to repair an acrylic bath using repair tape?

The first part of the work, before the cleaned damaged surface dries, is carried out similarly to the above method, but then a part of the repair tape is cut off, the length of which covers the crack by 1 cm on each side of the pothole. The protective film is removed, and the sticky side is firmly glued to the crack.

It is important to remove all air bubbles inside the coating. Three hours for a complete setting will be enough. It is forbidden to use the bath during this period, so that the liquid does not get under the tape and spoil all the work.

How can you effectively put the plumbing in order when chips and even holes have formed on the acrylic bath?

To fully restore the functionality of the device, you will need to perform

repair of chipped acrylic bathtubs in 2 stages.

The surface is cleaned with coarse putty, the dried layer is polished with sandpaper.
After it was possible to repair the acrylic bath, the entire surface of the product is polished. All corners are brightened, the bath acquires a natural snow-white color, all cracks and falcons remain in the distant past.

When it comes to deep defects and serious holes, it is better to entrust the work to specialists so that the product will serve its owners flawlessly for many years to come.

For those who are faced with such a task for the first time, it will be useful to watch a video of the repair of acrylic bathtubs, where, using the example of one of the consumers, all the nuances and main technical tasks are described step by step.

How to repair an acrylic bathtub so that the layers of material do not come off after a while?

Such a defect is possible if the elementary rules for the installation and operation of the product are not observed, and the advanced stage of crack manifestation can cause such troubles. When the edges of scratches or chips move away from the bottom layer of fiberglass, you need to take special glue and glue the base before starting to repair the bathtub.

Instead of glue, you can use a fiberglass repair kit, which is sold at any store.

People say - the eyes are afraid, but the hands do it! May your bath be always safe and sound. To the question of how to repair an acrylic bath, you have learned all the necessary answers thanks to the above detailed material.

Using the video during the repair of acrylic bathtubs, you can view in detail all the stages of preparation and technical characteristics of the features of the plumbing restaurant.

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Affordable prices, good consumer properties, low weight and ease of installation explain the growing popularity of acrylic bathtubs in recent years.

Plastic products can be used actively and for a long time, subject to the precautions that you need to familiarize yourself with before purchasing.

If the trouble still happened, you should be aware of the possibility of restoring an acrylic bathtub, which is really doable at home.

There are several types of models made of polyacrylic materials, which differ in the characteristics of the top layer, its mechanical and chemical resistance.

A coating with a thickness of more than 5 mm is intended for use over a quarter of a century. Bathtubs with a thinner inner layer can last 10 to 15 years without repair if they are handled with care.

The main thing is not to damage the polymers by mechanical action, treatment with chemically active reagents. Hygienic care can be carried out with mild detergents, without using strong oxidizing agents.

Read also: Rm2048xe enatel DIY repair

Wipe the surface gently with brushes or sponges that do not have hard fibers. Heavy objects should not be placed near the bath, metal containers should not be placed in it.

It is not recommended to bathe pets in acrylic baths, because even the most affectionate and obedient animals do not always like water procedures, they can scratch the surface with their claws out of fear.

Compliance with simple rules increases the chances of a long-term successful use of the bath without repair. However, troubles occur, as a result of which damage of varying degrees may appear:

rough areas and small scratches;
chips and easily noticeable scratches;
cracks;
through holes;
plastic delamination.

At home, you can repair acrylic bathtubs, using the recommendations of experienced craftsmen, a set of unpretentious devices and tools.

With prolonged use, the washing surface sometimes loses its original luster, which is due to the appearance of multiple small scratches. In this case, the restoration of acrylic baths is done by hand in a certain sequence using polishing agents.First, the area with small scratches should be rubbed with an emery flap with the smallest grains. The procedure must be done carefully, not too zealous, so as not to aggravate the damage to the surface.After leveling the scratches, a polish should be applied to the prepared area, including small grains of abrasive action.Rubbing the product with felt will allow you to get an absolutely smooth surface, which you need to bring to full shine with a wax composition of a polishing nature. On sale, both types of polishes are often present in one set, which allows you to qualitatively repair a scratched acrylic bathtub.After applying the wax, the surface is rubbed with a soft cloth, which is included with the treatment. At the end of the repair, the bathtub is washed, rinsed and allowed to dry.It is possible to independently restore the gloss of a surface that does not have noticeable scratches only with a wax polish, without using products with small abrasive particles.

Chips and large scratches are somewhat more difficult to repair, for this you will need liquid acrylic preparations. It makes sense to buy a repair kit right away, which includes:

composition for restoring the layer;
an applicator that allows you to apply the product gently;
polishes to add shine to the surface;
pieces of emery cloths with the required grain size;
napkins.

Before covering up a large scratch, it needs to be slightly expanded so that the paste for restoring the polymer fits into the cavity. You will have to be careful when working with a mounting knife, because the bath can burst from effort.After that, the gap must be rubbed with an emery piece, cleaned, degreased and applied with an applicator to the recess with a mass of liquid acrylic.

Note! The repair agent should completely occupy the cavity; the procedure for the execution technique resembles wall puttying.

When the mass hardens, the polymerization process is completed, the area must be rubbed on top with a polish until a shine appears. It is possible that the shade of the restored bathroom fragment will be slightly different, this can only be noticed with close examination and good lighting, aimed precisely at the place of the former defect.

Damage that leaks through is more difficult to repair, but it can also be done by hand.Such cracks should be sealed in the same way as deep scratches. The difference lies in the fact that it is advisable to drill small holes near the damage on both sides, into which then also place liquid acrylic.Such holes will prevent a further increase in the gap, further strengthen the repair area. As a result, a tightening fastening is formed, the presence of which will increase the strength of the seam.It is much more difficult to repair an acrylic bathtub that has a hole in it. It is possible to make a high-quality restoration only by removing the structure and turning it upside down. Such a prospect will please few people, will urge users to take care of plumbing. However, everything happens.To repair holes on the back side, the area around them at a distance of at least 20 cm must be completely cleaned and degreased. Cleaning is carried out with sandpaper, a layer of greasy dirt is removed with organic solvents or special detergent compositions.Then, a fiberglass patch is applied to the area to be repaired, which is larger than the size of the hole. The canvas is sold separately in stores with building supplies or in an acrylic bath repair kit.The reinforcing flap is fixed on the defect area with epoxy resin so that the hole is overlapped. After gluing the fiberglass, you need to wait for the glue to dry completely, then return the bath to its original position. At this time, the exhaust ventilation must be turned on in the bathroom.The remaining stages of repair are carried out from the inside of the washing tank, which must be prepared in the same way as is done when restoring ordinary cracks. The area is sanded with fine sandpaper, poured with a liquid acrylic agent, waited for it to dry, polished with a wax mass until it shines.

In fact, these bathtubs are just as practical to use as cast iron or steel, do not be afraid. And yet, the troubles that can happen are worth “knowing by sight”. This will save time and money that will be required to eliminate them. Traditionally, damage is divided into two groups:

Deep damage on the surface of the tub

Chemical “burns” occur with improper care and use. Ugly marks on a snow-white surface can be left not only by dyes and caustic substances, but also by poor-quality washing powders or bleaches, if you decide to soak the laundry in them right in the bath.

Mechanical damage is much more common. The most common defect can be minor scratches. But there are also deep damage to the surface layer, cracks of various sizes, and even through holes. But even a hole of about 100x100 mm can be safely repaired by yourself, without having much experience in this type of repair. This is the most important advantage of acrylic bathtubs, because it is much more difficult to restore the enamel on metal cases, and it is almost impossible to imagine repairing a hole in a steel bathtub.

Before you go to the store, study well the problem that you have to fix. Each case will require its own repair kit, why spend too much or run for the missing one several times?

Special compositions for the restoration of the surface of the bath

The main thing is to know exactly how your bath is made. Most often, two types are sold:

vacuum or injection molding,
extruded with a thin coating.

It's pretty easy to determine this. If a new product was protected by a special film, and on the edge cut the acrylic layer (it differs in color and density) reaches several millimeters, you have a bathtub made using vacuum technology. In this case, the repair will require liquid polymethyl methacrylate acrylic.

The extruded film coating is not protected, and on the cut it will be seen that the layer is very thin, up to one millimeter. With such baths, a repair kit is often sold together, if not, you need to buy a polyester resin product. Give preference to quality products from trusted manufacturers. These will have high adhesion and the repair will go like clockwork. Otherwise, the acrylic applied to the repair site will peel off pretty soon.

By the way, for small scratches or subtle chips, you only need sandpaper and felt for polishing. They just need to be mechanically rubbed and polished again.

For scratches of greater depth, it is enough to purchase

. In the case of a serious repair of cracks in an acrylic bath, you will need:

suitable acrylic of the desired shade,
a special degreaser for treating a damaged area.
sandpaper of different numbers.
hardener for acrylic (without it you will not be able to make repairs).
polishing paper for finishing the repair area or a grinding wheel for an electric drill with a special paste.

Ideally, it is better to purchase a repair kit from the same manufacturer that made the bath itself. This will make it easier to get the right shade of acrylic.

Pay attention to your own safety. Often the polymer is sold as a powder and liquid for dilution. To protect your eyes and respiratory tract, use a respirator and plastic goggles. Hands will be protected by rubber gloves. Provide room ventilation.

Small defects in the surface layer appear as a result of careless operation. For example, from a regularly falling shower head. It happens that unattractive stains from unextinguished cigarettes remain inside the bath over time. Troubleshooting is usually easy:

1. Take several numbers of sandpaper.
2. Start sanding the damaged area with the largest sandpaper, trying to level the surface.
3. Move to smaller numbers.
4. Having eliminated the defect, polish the place of repair with felt or a grinding wheel using grinding mastic.
5. Wash the bath and you can safely use it.

Restoration of the bath with the help of special compositions

This method is suitable for both shallow scratches and chemical damage to the bath. But a large, clearly visible chip is eliminated differently, using acrylic:

1. The place is polished in the manner described above.
2. Then washed with soap and left to dry completely.
3. Treated with a degreaser.
4. Acrylic diluted according to the instructions should be applied with a rubber spatula (usually included). Level the surface, remove chips.
5. Make sure that the patch does not form a bump, it will be difficult to remove it.
6. After drying, polish the repaired area with felt or polishing pad with mastic.

Cracks are also mechanical damage, and the stronger the impact, the greater the damage. At the same time, they have an unpleasant feature - to increase and pass water. So if you notice even a small crack, it is better to stop using the bathroom until it is fixed. Load - more than a hundred kilograms of water, plus your weight, can lead to irreversible consequences.Repair will not take much time, but then the bathroom can be safely used for many years.

1. Using a drill and a thin drill, we expand the crack to one or two millimeters and deepen it to half a millimeter. Otherwise, even after the repair, she will do it herself, without our participation, under the influence of the load.
2. We grind the crack and the place around it with sandpaper, moving from coarser to finest.
3. We treat the place of repair with soap, wash it off, let it dry.
4. Next, we repeat all the stages of chip repair:

degrease,
we breed acrylic according to the instructions (usually 50 parts of acrylic and 1 part of hardener),
apply with a rubber spatula, observing the surface geometry. There should not be a bump, but leave some stock of material for subsequent grinding, otherwise a dent will remain,
leave for about 6-12 hours to dry. You can cover the place with polyethylene, protecting it from dust and debris,
polish.

Serious scratch on the bottom of an acrylic bathtub

You can use after you managed to update the bathtub with acrylic, in a day. By the way, high-quality grinding at the first stage provides not only optimal adhesion of the surface of the updated bathtub with a patch, but also avoids loss of whiteness at the repair site.

Some experts recommend applying acrylic with an airbrush, citing the fact that it makes the layer smoother. But for the sake of a one-time repair, it makes no sense to buy expensive equipment. With a rubber spatula with a certain amount of diligence, you can achieve no worse effect.

Another point, if the bath is of poor quality or installed incorrectly - with distortions and the formation of cracks, then acrylic peeling may begin around the crack. Then you need to buy a special glue, drill the exfoliated area, pour glue into the hole and fix it. After drying, the repair can be carried out in the usual way, capturing the hole for the glue.

We have already said above that even a through hole in the bathroom 100x100 mm in size can be repaired at home and on your own. How it was formed, we will leave it on the conscience of the owners, but it should be eliminated as follows:

1. We buy enough acrylic.
2. We clean the place of repair with sandpaper, moving from coarse to fine.
3. With my soap, removing fine dust, let it dry.
4. Degrease.
5. We dilute acrylic in the required amount - about 50 milliliters will be required per layer. Surpluses do not need to be made, they will have to be thrown away.
6. We close the hole with fiberglass and carefully, slowly, impregnate with a brush or spatula with acrylic on both sides, going into undamaged areas.
7. Leave to dry for several hours, protect with cellophane.
8. Repeat the patching process at least two more times.
9. Be sure to let each layer dry well.
10. We grind the place of repair with a grinding wheel with mastic.

Of course, there is a risk that doing such work for the first time, you will not be able to achieve the ideal condition of the coating and the update will be noticeable. But it's better than buying a new bath, especially if it hasn't been used that long. Image - Do-it-yourself repair of chipped acrylic bathtubs

Published: April 25th, 2012 | Update: May 29, 2017 | Views:41008 | _title>”>Plumbing and heating

How to repair a crack, a chip in an acrylic bathtub, so that after the repair there is no trace of restoration left, and the bathtub acquires its original appearance.

If you have an acrylic bathtub from a European manufacturer and you find a real liquid acrylic with the color number of your bathtub, because you still have all the papers from its purchase - you are very lucky. Use the instructions (translation into Russian is not a problem) and eliminate the defects that have arisen. If you do everything correctly, then after the restoration you will not even find the place where you had a problem.

But what to do if you yourself don’t know what kind of bath you have, what manufacturer and when it was made, and it’s hard for you to remember the color (shade) number of liquid acrylic without knowing?

I will share my experience in this area, because. repaired dozens of acrylic bathtubs, showers, bath screens and acrylic liners (inserts).

To eliminate chips and cracks in European bathtubs (or acrylic bathtubs made from European sheets), I used German liquid acrylic from Roehm Gmbh.

Recently I have been using BYsan3000 liquid acrylic (which I wrote about earlier).

Instructions for use are also provided. In very rare cases, the color matches the color of the bath. Some are satisfied with a slight shade, especially if it is not in the most visible place, and not everyone wants to pay extra for color matching.

In order to get 100% in the color of the restored surface, it is best to use the material of the same surface. To do this, you will need an acrylic thinner. You can purchase acrylic thinner BYsan 4000 or highly purified dichloroethane. In the past, dichloroethane was often used to bond Plexiglas (PMMA). But I do not advise buying dichloroethane, which is sold in radio engineering stores, because. it has a yellowish tint, and after using it, you get a yellow spot. Dichloroethane dissolves acrylates (ABS, PMMA) well, and after evaporation, these polymers become solid again. Be careful, dichloroethane vapors are harmful to health, try not to inhale its smells.

If you have a sheet acrylic bathtub, then find a part of the surface that is not visible when installing the bathtub. These are most often the outer sides of the bath, which are pushed up to the wall, or are closed from the eyes by bathroom items. Take a drill with a diameter of 8-10 mm and drill the acrylic shavings of the surface layer of the bath, trying not to drill to the fiberglass. Drill at low speeds. Prepare a container in which you will create dissolved acrylic. It can be a cork, cap or something small, preferably metal or glass. The main thing is that this container is clean and without paint (dyes). By the way, polyethylene dichloroethane does not dissolve. It is advisable not to use very flat containers, because. the solvent (dichloroethane) evaporates fairly well.

For ease of application, prepare a brush for painting. It is very important that the brush hairs do not fall out and remain on the surface during restoration.

Pour the solvent into the container and slowly add the acrylic shavings, stirring all this with a stick (match) or other clean object. Add shavings until you reach the consistency of sour cream.

Apply the resulting mixture to the part to be restored in thin layers and allow a period of time between each layer so that the solvent can evaporate and the surface becomes harder. As you understand, shrinkage will be significant after the solvent has evaporated. If you apply a large layer at once, then voids (bubbles) may form inside the layer, because. the solvent evaporates starting from the surface. Be aware in advance that the acrylic sheet (which the tub is made from) has some light transmission and your grout does not cover as well as regular paint. If you apply a very thin layer, your crack (chip) or previous putty will probably be visible after drying and polishing. Therefore, before starting the restoration, make a small indentation (0.5 ... 1 mm) in place of your restored surface. If you have a through crack or chip on an acrylic surface, then it is better to first putty with liquid acrylic, and if possible, reinforce the back with fiberglass.

After you have applied the dissolved acrylic, it is better to wait a couple of days until the solvent has completely evaporated. A few hours after the restoration, the acrylic will already be hard and the bath can be used, but with polishing it is better to wait, because. hardness is only superficial. If you applied a layer of 1 ... 3 mm, then after two days you can level with polishing paper 1500 and 2500 and polish your bath.

If garbage and dyes have not got anywhere, then the end result should be perfect, there should not be a hint of former problems.

From experience I will tell you that there are acrylic bathtubs and trays that are not amenable to this method of restoration. I have met Chinese bathtubs and pallets made of sheet acrylic, when, when the acrylic shavings are dissolved, it becomes a greenish tint. These plumbing products originally come with a bluish-purple tint, i.e. they seem to be white, but if you apply a very white color to them, you can see the difference. I don’t know what kind of components the Chinese add, but there is some kind of reaction with the solvent. In order not to drill chips, try applying a couple of drops of solvent to an inconspicuous part of the bath and see if the surface layer turns green under it or not ...

Video (click to play).

I will be glad if my advice will help you in the restoration of acrylic sanitary ware. Good luck.

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