For any person, the bathroom is one of the favorite places. After all, where else can you lie down in warm water, relaxing, forgetting about problems and fuss … However, the coating of the bath itself wears out over time and becomes yellow, forming spots. Now the restoration of bathtubs is widely used, people's reviews about this process are the most enthusiastic. After all, there are many materials that update the old coating. Every bathtub looks like it was just bought and installed.
Ways to restore bathroom coverage
Today, there are three ways to renew the old bathroom flooring:
- use a brush to paint over damaged areas;
- make an acrylic liner;
- pump bath method.
Repairing a bathtub with a brush and enamel
So, let's start with the first method, it can be called "restoration of the bathtub with enamel", it will be more accurate. For the whole procedure we need:
- brush, preferably wide and with which hairs do not fall out;
- waterproof fabric-based sandpaper;
- some cleaning powder;
- respiratory mask.
Armed with all this, you can get to work. Purchase a bathtub repair kit from the hardware store. It includes an epoxy-based paint and varnish, as well as a thickener or hardener in a separate container. You need to carefully read the instructions, which says in what proportions to mix the two components. When the necessary composition is ready, you can begin the operation "restoration of the bath with your own hands".
Preparing the bathtub for surface restoration
Bath is rinsed with scouring powder to remove dirt and bacteria that may prevent new enamel from fully setting.
Then, without washing off the powder, clean the places to be restored with sandpaper. Chips need to be cleaned to metal so that the surface becomes even and without bumps.
Next, it is washed from particles of worn enamel and powder.
After that, fill the bath with hot water, and then drain it after ten minutes. This is necessary in order for the surface to warm up well, for the speedy drying of moisture.
You need to put bags on the faucet and shower to prevent accidental water ingress on the enamel that has not yet hardened, because the restoration of the bathtub with your own hands does not tolerate a mistake.
If there are large chips, then automotive polyester putty is used to eliminate them. When it dries, it must be cleaned with sandpaper, and then remove the resulting dust with a vacuum cleaner and a rag.
Re-enameling prepared areas
You need to mix the contents of two containers by pouring the thickener into the enamel. Everything must be done quickly, because an hour after mixing the composition, it will be unusable. Next, using a brush, the enamel is applied to the finished surface. Everything needs to be carefully aligned. Then, without waiting for drying, you can then cover with a second layer. These steps must be completed within 50 minutes. If there is no certainty that the restoration of the bathtub with enamel will take place during this time, then it is better not to mix everything at once, but to divide it into two.
Safety
Mix all the ingredients in a respiratory mask, because these substances are toxic. Protective gloves must be worn on hands.
Acrylic liner bathtub restoration method
Using sealant, you need to glue an acrylic liner to the inner surface of the bathtub. This method of restoring the coating is not suitable for most home craftsmen. This is because it is almost impossible to find these same liners in ordinary stores. They are sold mainly in bulk.large enterprises or craftsmen who are engaged in plumbing.
The hot tub method and what people say about it
Now we will describe how the restoration of the bath with acrylic is carried out. Reviews about this method say that it is ideal for restoring coverage on your own. Many people, having read about all the intricacies of this technique on the forums, decided to do everything on their own. Other restorative materials are often toxic and therefore inconvenient to use at home. And the method with the installation of an acrylic liner is also not suitable for the reasons described above. It remains to apply the filling with liquid acrylic. In this way, it is really the easiest way to carry out restoration, so it is used by both professionals and home craftsmen who do it for the first time in their lives. This method is ideal when refurbishing acrylic, cast iron or steel tubs.
Toolkit
To carry out the whole process, we need:
- liquid acrylic, its other name is bulk;
- spatula soft, elastic;
- drill and grinding wheels;
- acetone to degrease the surface;
- respirator to keep dust out of lungs;
- stick to stir enamel, thickener, knife, rubber gloves, rags, tape and newspapers.
Preparing the bath
Disassemble the holes for the drain and overflow. This must be done for convenient work. If you are restoring a cast-iron bath with your own hands, especially when it is an old model, then removing the drain can be problematic due to the fact thatthread may have rusted. Then the kit will have to be dismantled.
When the drain and overflow are removed from the hole, you can start grinding the surface. They do this with a special machine, a drill with nozzles, or if there are no such units, you can use sandpaper. Often people underestimate this part of the work, neglecting it, but it is worth taking sanding seriously, because it depends on how liquid acrylic sticks to the coating. And the better everything grabs, the longer the appearance of the bath will remain sparkling and snow-white. When grinding, be sure to wear a respirator, it will protect against the ingress of small particles and dust into the lungs.
The restoration of the cast-iron bath with their own hands continues. Now you need to remove all the dust from grinding. This is done with a lint-free cloth, you can also use a vacuum cleaner without a nozzle. After that, the surface is degreased with acetone. A piece of cloth is moistened with it and the bath is wiped. It is necessary to ensure that there are no fragments of the old coating or villi on the surface. Any remaining even the smallest debris can subsequently lead to marriage. Any cleaning powder can be used instead of acetone.
Preparing liquid acrylic for use
Restoration of bathtubs with glass (the so-called liquid acrylic) is carried out carefully so that dirt or anything else cannot get into its snow-white color. You need to open the jar with a clean screwdriver or knife. You need to stir liquid acrylic, according to the instructions, with a wooden stick, slowlyin circular motions. Do not use a drill with a nozzle for this. This can cause air bubbles to form in the mixture. To make the acrylic homogeneous, you need to mix it slowly, adding a little hardener. And so you need to continue for 10-12 minutes, until everything becomes homogeneous.
It is very important that the restoration of the bathtub with liquid acrylic is carried out from the beginning of mixing the future coating to the completion of work in an hour and a half. After all, only during this time the composition will be suitable for use. If you linger longer, then it will begin to freeze and become unsuitable for further manipulations. So it’s worth thinking through everything right away for more accurate and faster actions.
Preparing a container for covering the bathroom with liquid acrylic
To evenly cover the entire surface, you need a convenient plastic jar, you can make it from a bottle in which there was a hardener. It is necessary to cut off its top, however, in such a way that one corner is higher than the others. It will be like a teapot spout.
Protection of the floor and other undesirable parts for painting
You need to take newspapers or a large piece of polyethylene and cover the floor. Use adhesive tape to seal all other surfaces where the mixture should not get. After all, restoring a bathtub with liquid acrylic may not be a very clean task, so you should play it safe. In addition, bags should be put on the faucets to be safe from water getting on the acrylic when pouring the bath. You also need to put a bowl under the drain hole into which the mixture will drain.
The process of pouring liquidacrylic
So, the plastic jar is ready, you need to prepare a flexible spatula for even distribution over the entire surface of liquid acrylic. When everything is at hand, do-it-yourself bath restoration comes to its main part - pouring. Pour acrylic into the jar from the thickener and start pouring onto the top of the bath so that the material flows down. This must be done carefully, trying to capture as large a surface as possible in width. This is done until they are connected to the beginning of the pour. Then do-it-yourself bathtub restoration enters the phase of uniform distribution of acrylic on the surface.
After that, you need to smudge and add a fill to the parts of the surface where there is none yet. Everything is done from the same place where they started, only a little lower. At the same time, the streams are leveled with a spatula so that they cover the entire surface horizontally. Now the material will begin to accumulate at the bottom of the bath, this is normal. When all the walls and top are evenly covered, take a rubber spatula or roller. They are used to level the bottom and walls. This is how acrylic baths are restored, this is a universal way.
After the entire surface is covered with a uniform layer, it is still worth checking. To do this, use a flashlight, its light is directed, and if there are flaws, they will be immediately visible. With basic lighting, you might not notice because it is more diffuse. The method described here with liquid acrylic is the best option for home use, because such restoration of bathtubs reviewsreceived approval from both professionals and home craftsmen. Therefore, it is worth choosing from all those listed.
