Do-it-yourself acrylic bath crack repair. Repair of acrylic bathtubs at home - how to restore the original whiteness Fix a chip on an acrylic bathtub

20.06.2020

Together with cast iron metal models polymer plumbing is quite in demand. Acrylic models are quite practical, but can get serious damage to the coating due to mechanical stress. You can repair products if an acrylic bath is cracked, chips, cracks appear on it, and sometimes even through holes. Consider how to fix defects in acrylic plumbing on your own.

Before upcoming repairs acrylic bath if a crack or chip occurs, it is necessary to understand the causes of the malfunction.

The main types of damage are divided into two types:

Damage that is formed due to mechanical influences: falling heavy objects on the surface, burning the coating. Cracks and crevices on the surface of the acrylic bath can be made due to the heavy load on it.
Chemical impact. The acrylic bathtub cracks after being treated with detergents that contain chlorine and oxalic acid.

Due to improper use, the walls and bottom of the acrylic bath are covered with scratches, chips and cracks. These defects usually only spoil appearance but in no way affect its washing functionality. To return the bath to its original form, you can make repair work Houses.

For repairs plastic bathtubs on your own, you need a lot of patience and a little knowledge. The whole theory about troubleshooting in polymer products is in front of you. You just need to get started.

What to do to repair a crack in an acrylic bath? Before repairing a cracked coating, you need to buy repair materials separately or buy a special repair kit.

Bath Restoration Tools and Materials

The standard set of materials for the restoration of polymer plumbing includes:

respirator and rubber gloves;
a set of sandpaper;
liquid acrylic;
adhesive for polymer coatings;
polish.

Tip: Glue is needed when there are through holes in the coating. Therefore, in order to be able to seal the acrylic bathtub, you must have at hand special composition. The method of restoring plumbing directly depends not only on the types of damage, but also on their scale.

There is no need to rush to quickly get rid of plumbing if a crack has just appeared in the acrylic bath. Most often, such damage can be easily repaired. If the acrylic bath has burst or small defects have appeared on its surface, the instructions for restoring plumbing will help to eliminate them, for more serious damage a slightly different approach will be required.

Repair of minor defects. In the beginning, you need to understand how to repair an acrylic bathtub that has chips and minor scratches on the surface. This will require the following materials:

two-component acrylic;
epoxy adhesive;
sandpaper;
special tape.

Using epoxy glue, you can repair the surface if it has a crack up to 3 mm in size. For large defects, tape must be used. In this case, the repair will begin with degreasing the plumbing surface. After that, a special tape is glued onto the crack, from which the film must first be removed.

Acrylic bathtubs with small defects, whose length does not exceed 5 mm, can be repaired using only the specified materials.

Recovery instructions:

in order to improve the adhesion of the surface of the plumbing with glue, it is necessary to slightly expand the boundaries of the cracks with a knife;
the surface is degreased;
acrylic paint must be diluted with a hardener;
the area to be repaired must be treated with a small amount of the resulting composition;
we seal the treated areas with adhesive tape for five to six hours;
after which it is necessary to remove the film, after which the plumbing must be treated with alcohol and sanded;
the restored area is covered with polish in order to obtain a shiny finish.

Acrylic peels off. Most people who come to acrylic plumbing are faced with such a problem as bath swelling. Sometimes acrylic moves away from fiberglass, i.e. swells up. This happens for a number of reasons:

The acrylic bath staggers and the load on the surface is not evenly distributed, because of this, there is a high probability that the acrylic may lag behind the walls of the plumbing.
The reason may be hidden in low-quality products, which were made from cheap materials.

In order to glue polymer materials you will need a special glue. In the place of swelling, holes must be made in order to introduce glue there, after the layers are glued together, you can begin work to eliminate the usual crack. This work process has been described above.

Large defects are cleaned with a special tool, after which a new protective layer of enamel is applied to them. Details in the article -. If the acrylic bath is leaking, it means that it has serious through damage. In this case, the usual cosmetic elimination of defects will not help, it will be necessary to make reinforcement. If the acrylic bath is not level, it is better to reinstall it, otherwise it will leak sooner or later.

How to prevent breakdowns of polymer plumbing?

When using acrylic products, certain conditions must be observed, ignoring which you may later face the need for repair:

The melting point of acrylic is 150 ° C, because of this, it is highly recommended not to pour boiling water into a bath of this material in order to avoid deformation.
It is not recommended to put basins in bathtubs made of acrylic in order to avoid the formation of chips and cracks.
To prevent the formation of cracks in the bathroom and other mechanical damage, avoid dropping heavy objects into it.

Unfortunately, many users ignore the "signals" of plumbing about the approach of an accident:

The creak of an acrylic bath indicates that the plumbing was initially installed incorrectly, or the bottom and walls of the device are quite thin. But there are ways to eliminate this trouble.
In the case when the acrylic bath sags, bricks or blocks can be placed under its base. This method is suitable for those who have a bathtub covered with a plastic screen. This solution will reduce the load on the inner surface of the bath and prevent cracks.
Look at the acrylic bathtub in the light, if it is translucent, this is bad. But if you still purchased such a product, do not be upset, it can be enhanced with latex paint, which is applied to the surface in bulk. This will strengthen the surface of the bath and prevent the appearance of various defects.

Many people wonder how much longer the restored plumbing can last? If the restoration is done with high quality, then such products can last from 2 to 5 years. Given enough small price for this job, it's quite profitable.

An acrylic bathtub can be restored with almost any type of damage, so don't get rid of old equipment as soon as possible. Almost any person whose hands grow from the right place can restore the former integrity and original appearance of an acrylic bath with their own hands. The most important thing is to read the instructions, have on hand necessary materials and tools and naturally are not afraid of physical work.

Do-it-yourself acrylic bath repair allows you to return this design for adoption water procedures former brilliance and integrity.

Acrylic bathing structures, installed today in the homes of many people, are highly practical, easy to use and excellent hygiene. But over time, or if the standards for their use are violated, a variety of defects may appear on the surface of such baths. In such situations, it is not necessary to purchase new design. You are quite capable of repairing acrylic bathtubs with your own hands.

Acrylic construction for bathing

Damage to the products we describe is usually divided into the following types:

Blind holes and deep cracks. Most often, such flaws occur when using aggressive detergents, smoking in the bath and careless handling of it.
Surface cracks. They most often form when you clean the tub with highly abrasive compounds. Surface defects also appear during long-term operation of the structure.
Chips. The most dangerous damage that occurs due to heavy objects falling into the acrylic structure. These defects are the most difficult to eliminate, their restoration is carried out in several stages.

All of these damages are self-repairable. It is only important to choose the right technology for restoration work and buy the appropriate materials for them.

Acrylic structures are made using different methods. Finished products differ in the thickness of the acrylic layer. The most expensive are bathtubs that are made using vacuum forming technology. The thickness of the acrylic layer of such structures exceeds 4 mm. Manufacturers take a sheet of material, heat it up strongly on special equipment, and then mold it to a specific pattern in a vacuum atmosphere.

Vacuum formed acrylic bathtub

Cheaper are products on which acrylic is applied by casting or spraying on a fiberglass base. The acrylic layer of such structures never exceeds 2 mm. Determining which bath is in front of you is quite simple. Look at the cut edge of the product, you can see the thickness of the acrylic layer.

You need to inspect the bath not for the sake of empty interest, but in order to understand what kind of repair kit you need to purchase to restore it. Kits for inexpensive constructions usually consist of epoxy mixed with a small amount of special additives. But the restoration of bathtubs with a thick coating should be carried out with a repair kit from a special type of hardener and liquid acrylic.

As you understand, first of all, you need to choose the right special bath repair kit. The success of restoration measures depends on this. In addition, the restoration of bathtubs is always carried out taking into account the following basic requirements:

Do not apply an acrylic layer over cracks in structures. There will be no sense from such a repair.
The bath must be degreased before starting its restoration. For these purposes, solvents are used that are developed specifically for acrylic coatings. It is forbidden to use cleaning compounds designed for plumbing with other types of protective layers.
Acrylic is done with rubber gloves. It is also necessary to work in a respirator equipped with a carbon filter. If possible, turn on the hood in the room where the structure is located, ventilate it. Remember that acrylic emits harmful volatile compounds when heated and treated with liquid repair compounds.
Restoration is not carried out with building acrylic, which is sold in specialized stores. You can repair the bath only with a special sanitary material.

Building acrylic for restoration

And one more subtlety. In order for the restoration work to provide the expected result, it is necessary to use materials for repair with compression and expansion rates that are similar to the characteristics of the acrylic bath sheet. These values can be found in the design data sheet and in the instructions supplied with the repair kits.

We add that the restoration of baths with acrylic coated produced using a number of fixtures and tools. You need to stock up (you will mount a grinding wheel on it to process the surface of the structure), sandpaper of different numbers and a special grinding paste.

Small defects on the surface of the bath are corrected with acrylic bath polish and sandpaper. You need to carefully clean up small damage sandpaper with a grain index of 80. Then the final cleaning is carried out (an emery with a mark of 2000 is used).

Acrylic bath polish

In cases where the burn through of the bath is deep enough, simple grinding of its surface will not give results. You must first fill the hole with liquid acrylic and only then apply sandpaper.

After grinding the surface, it is treated with a polish. Note that the described restoration technology does not change the color of the bath. This is due to the fact that acrylic is a homogeneous material. The main thing is not to overdo it with grinding. It must be done very carefully, without pressing the sandpaper to the surface to be treated.

Such types of damage are recommended to be repaired as soon as they are discovered. If the cracks become more extensive and deep, it will be very difficult to deal with them. Sometimes it's almost impossible. Restoration of a bathtub with cracks is carried out using a repair tape or a repair kit (do not forget that it must be selected taking into account the thickness of the acrylic layer). Restoring the integrity of the structure through the use of special kits is as follows:

With sandpaper marked 400, clean the section of the bath near the crack.
Drill holes with an electric drill with a cross section of 1 mm on each side of the damage (in this case, the crack will not expand).
Clean the surface of crumbs and small debris, wash it with soapy water, wait for the bath to dry.
Mix the components included in the repair kit.
With an applicator (manufacturers of the composition include it in the recovery kit), apply the prepared mixture to the hole and crack.
Wait 10-12 hours.
Grind the repaired section of the bath until you get an absolutely smooth surface.

Acrylic Construction Repair Kit

When using a repair tape, the operation algorithm is slightly different:

Make holes, clean the surface.
Cut off a piece of tape (it must cover the crack by 10 mm in each direction).
Use the sticky side to stick the tape to the surface. Air bubbles may form under the tape and must be removed immediately.

After that, for 3-5 hours, wait for the restored area to dry. In no case do not draw water into the bath during drying!

You can also get rid of serious damage to the bath on your own. Follow the workflow below:

Take a repair kit with coarse putty. Treat a deep chip or hole with it.
Wait for the putty to dry completely.
Sand the surface with sandpaper.
Take the finely dispersed composition included in the repair kit, and cover up the defective area.
Sand the dried surface with fine sandpaper.
Polishing the repaired part of the bath.

Smearing the defective area with a finely dispersed composition

As you can see, almost any damage can be repaired independently. acrylic structures. Just follow the instructions above.

Acrylic bathtubs are certainly comfortable, practical and hygienic. But due to a violation of the rules for their use, or simply over time, their surface loses its former luster, scratches or even chips appear on it.

If you do not plan to change plumbing in the near future, then the question arises: how to repair an acrylic bath and can you do it yourself?

Many citizens have a habit of using the bath not only for its intended purpose, but also to solve various problems. household tasks. For example, for washing or for washing the dog after a walk. In addition, “accidents” also happen if, for example, a heavy object was accidentally dropped into the bath.

All this can lead to the fact that perfectly smooth and smooth surface will be covered with scratches and or cracks, chips or even through holes will form on it.

You can solve the problem in three ways:

Replace the bathtub with a new model.
Order repair of an acrylic bathtub to specialists.
Carry out repairs and

The first option is good if the bath has already served enough and it is not a pity to throw it away. What if the plumbing is new? Changing it just because of scratches is not very rational.

The second option is certainly good, because it does not create any problems. I called a specialized company, and its employees will conduct necessary work restoring the bathroom to its former glory. But this method also has disadvantages.

If an acrylic bathtub is being restored, repairs, as a rule, are quite expensive. I must say that the bill for often reaches half of its cost. For this reason, this seemingly reasonable enough option is not suitable for everyone.

The only solution left is to repair an acrylic bath with your own hands. Let's see how this can be done.

Selection of material for bath repair

Preparing for a bathroom renovation

It is extremely important to choose the right material for. The bathroom during operation experiences significant loads, as it gets either hot or cold. cold water, which leads to different temperature transformations.

Naturally, the changes linear dimensions surface layer are not visible to the eye, but they cannot be ignored.

It is important that the material used for the restoration has the same characteristics as the main bath material. Otherwise, cracks will inevitably appear soon and repair efforts will go in vain.

In addition, the repair material must have a high degree of adhesion to the surface of the bath so that flaking does not occur. The choice of material is influenced by the production technology of this bath model.

There are two ways to make acrylic bathtubs:

Vacuum forming. This is the most common way. Bathtubs produced using this technology go on sale, covered with a protective film. In this case, liquid acrylic is needed to repair the bathroom, this is a material made on the basis of polymethymethacrylate.
Casting or spraying. Such bathtubs have a very thin surface layer of acrylic on the surface. They are sold without a protective film and are perfectly amenable to restoration. Most often, the manufacturer is included in the package repair kit for the repair of acrylic bathtubs, made on the basis of polyester resins.

To determine the method of production of the bath, you should look at the cut of its side. If the thickness of the surface layer does not exceed a millimeter, then the bathroom is made by spraying.

If the thickness of the top layer is 2-5 mm, and the owner remembers that he bought the bath in protective film, then this is a bath obtained by molding.

Repair of minor scratches or small burns

Repairing minor scratches in a bathtub

In case of careless handling of the surface of the bath, minor damage may appear on it - scratches, and if one of the residents is a smoker while lying in the bathroom, then burns may also occur.

If the damage is superficial, then acrylic bath repairs can be done quite easily.

Would need:

Sandpaper of varying degrees of grit (from 80 to 2000).
Acrylic bath polish.

Superficial damage is protected with sandpaper, using a larger one at the first stages, and the smallest one at the end (2000).

Because acrylic is a homogeneous material, this light sanding will not change the color of the surface. After finishing sanding, the surface should be treated with acrylic bath polish.

If the burn through of the surface is deep, then it is impossible to get rid of it by grinding. In this case, the hole will have to be filled with liquid acrylic, and after it has hardened, it will be processed with sandpaper and polished.

Crack repair

Repair kit for repairing cracks in an acrylic bath

If cracks have formed on the surface, more complex work. If acrylic bathtubs are being repaired, the repair can be done using an acrylic surface repair kit or repair tape.

Typically, a crack on the surface of a tub is caused by a heavy object being dropped or wear and tear from years of use.

Cracks that appear on the surface should be repaired immediately after they are noticed, since it is much more difficult to restore a bathtub with deep and extensive damage.

Consider how cracks in acrylic bathtubs are repaired using epoxy putty.

The procedure is as follows:

Sandpaper with a grit index of 400 should clean the surface near the crack. On each side of the damage, approximately a centimeter of the surface should be treated.
Such preparation will allow the putty to be fixed more reliably.
Using a drill, drill holes with a diameter of 1 mm on each side of the crack. This operation is necessary to prevent further crack propagation.
Remove dust and crumbs, wash the surface with water and soapy water. Let the surface dry well.

If there is no time to wait until the surface dries naturally, you should use a building hair dryer.

When an acrylic bath is restored, damage is repaired with two-component compounds. Therefore, before use, you need to mix the main component with the hardener.

It is necessary to work with repair compositions with properly functioning ventilation. For respiratory protection, you can use a respirator.

We close the cracks in the bathroom with putty

Finished putty to seal the gap and holes from the drill. To apply the composition, use the applicator that is included in the acrylic bath repair kit.
The applied composition is left for 12 hours so that it dries well. Now you need to sand the repaired area until a smooth surface is obtained.

Repair tape can also be used to repair cracks. In this case, if acrylic bathtubs are being restored, the repair at the first stage follows a similar algorithm.

That is, the surface should be cleaned, drill holes at the ends of the cracks, wash and dry the surface.

Next steps:

A part of the repair tape is cut off so that its length covers the crack by 1 cm in each direction.
The protective film is removed from the tape to expose the sticky side.
Stick the tape to the crack, carefully removing air bubbles from under the tape.
The repaired section of the bath should be left for three hours to dry. During this period, water should not be allowed to enter the bath.

Repair of chips and holes

Bathtub chip repair

If a chip has formed on the surface of the bath or even a hole has appeared, then in this case it is also possible to make the plumbing in order.

If the defect is deep, then the repair of chipped acrylic bathtubs takes place in two stages.

First, coarse putty is used, which forms a uniform layer that is not subject to shedding.
The dried layer of putty is polished with sandpaper.
Further, it is required to carry out finishing processing using finely dispersed repair compounds.
After allowing the putty to dry well, the surface is again polished with a fine sandpaper.
After the repair of the bathtub with acrylic is completed, its surface is polished.

Thus, almost any damage to the bath can be repaired. Of course, the question of how to repair an acrylic bath is not an easy one. Especially when it comes to serious damage. If minor scratches on the surface can be easily eliminated by ourselves, then it is better to entrust the repair of deep defects and holes to specialists, since it is extremely difficult to perform this work accurately, without having the appropriate experience.

Recently, it has been replaced by expensive and massive cast-iron or quickly cooling and noisy steel baths the lungs came modern models from acrylic. 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.

Operation of acrylic models

Acrylic - polymer material, which has high operational 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, ignoring which may require repair of acrylic bathtubs:

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.

Repair methods

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:

Note! If you are going to do your own DIY acrylic bath repair, you will need a polishing pad or regular 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.

Repair of chips and holes

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.

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 correspond to the material from which the container for washing is made, since different formulations possess different properties including thermal expansion.

Crack repair

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. To do this, you will need a repair kit for acrylic bathtubs and a drill. It is necessary to act according to the following instructions:

Experienced craftsmen say that if you choose the right color, 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 produces this bath model, otherwise the repaired places will look like dirty spots.

Video instruction

Acrylic bathtubs, with all their advantages (lightness, variety of shapes, noiselessness, relatively affordable price), have one serious flaw - they can crack or even form a through hole when a heavy object falls.

In this regard, almost every user who encounters this problem sooner or later has a question - how to glue an acrylic bathtub and is it possible to do this in principle?

When taking on the repair of a bathtub, it must be remembered that a mistake can lead to irreparable consequences - a seemingly ordinary crack, with an unfavorable outcome, can cause flooding not only of your apartment, but also of the neighbors below.

Therefore, it is immediately worth discarding such repair options as "cold" welding, the use of ordinary glue, sealing a crack with metallized tape, etc. All these materials have a low coefficient of adhesion with acrylic and, in addition, change their specific gravity in different ways with temperature. In practice, this means that the "patch" will bounce on the first hit. warm water to the place of repair.

So, it should be clearly understood that it is possible to glue an acrylic bathtub only with the help of acrylic or acrylic and epoxy putty with a fiberglass cloth, if the crack (hole) is through or has a large area.

A shallow crack is embroidered with a drill, simultaneously reaming holes at its ends (to stop further growth). After that, the future seam is thoroughly washed, if necessary, degreased with alcohol. In no case should ordinary solvents be used for degreasing - acrylic in this case will drain down. The embroidered crack is filled with liquid acrylic, to which a hardener is added. After the final solidification, the surface is cleaned with sandpaper and polished flush with the "native" surface of the bath.

This should be done if the crack has spread only to the surface layer of acrylic. Through damage is repaired using a special acrylic tape from the repair kit. All preparatory procedures are similar to those described above, the only difference is that acrylic tape is glued on top at the end to increase the strength of the repair area.

Through holes and cracks with damage to the tub frame are repaired by reinforcing the repair area with fiberglass cloth and epoxy putty. For this with reverse side bathtubs are cleaned with sandpaper the required area, which is glued with fiberglass. Acts as a binder epoxy resin with hardener. It must be remembered that high strength can only be achieved by applying putty in several layers with the obligatory drying of each. Inner surface bathtub in the area of the hole is either filled with liquid acrylic or glued with a repair tape from the same material.

All work must be carried out with strict observance of safety precautions: airing the room, rubber gloves, a respirator with a carbon filter. During the drying of epoxy putty and liquid acrylic, it is prohibited to stay in the apartment.