We all know perfectly well that repairs are a protracted business that requires time, money and nerves.. Moreover, repairs are always associated with extreme inconveniences, because you have to change your usual way of life. What to do if you find out that your bathtub has become «shabby», the enamel has faded and cracked? You shouldn’t decide to renovate the entire bathroom, or buy a new expensive bathtub, you just need to update the existing one. This article is intended to tell you how to properly update the bath so that it becomes as before — clean and beautiful..
How to upgrade your bath
In order for your old bathroom to look like new, you need to establish what kind of help it needs. Basically, there are 5 reasons why a bathtub needs to be refurbished:
If the enamel of the bath has become rough, then its restoration will be required..
If the enamel is poorly washed, absorbs dirt and rust, then the bath will need to be updated.
If a stain appears in the bath due to unprofessional installation (that is, water stagnates at the bottom of the bath), then here you need to install an acrylic liner with a slight slope in the bath.
If the paint peels off, then re-enameling is applied, and an acrylic insert can also be installed.
If you are the owner of a steel bathtub, which is why you hear a strong noise from the water, it cools down quickly, rust appears on it, then only an acrylic liner is used here, it will make the bathtub «thicker», warmer, quieter.
For many years, cast iron baths have been considered the most common baths. If you want to update such a bathtub, then there are 2 ways: to update it with acrylic or to enamel it yourself. An acrylic liner will help solve many problems: the bathtub will not turn yellow over time and absorb dirt and rust; the bathtub will be easy to clean; acrylic has a long warranty period (about 20 years), it will retain heat better (than cast iron); You don’t have to dismantle an old bathtub or overhaul the entire room. The acrylic liner also has disadvantages, firstly, it fits only standard bath sizes, and secondly, it requires careful maintenance.
How to upgrade your bath
Enameling your bathtub yourself is the cheapest and easiest way to renovate your bathtub. At the same time, you do not need to dismantle the old bathtub, and the whole process will take no more than 4 hours. It will be possible to use the bathroom after enameling after a day. The guarantee for such work is given for 5 years, if necessary, you can make the enamel again after a few years. An important plus for many aesthetes will be the fact that you can choose a shade of enamel to your taste. The disadvantages of enameling include its fragility, compliance with strict safety rules when performing work, and, in the future, careful cleaning of the bath only with special chemical agents.
In order to carry out the restoration of the bath yourself, you will need:
color scheme (for enamel);
brushes with a width of 7 cm — 2 pcs;
cord brush and sander;
epoxy enamel, 2-component (finnish enamels are better in quality) — 2 sets.
vacuum cleaner, respirator (with cartridge);
cleaning agent.
Before starting work, the bath must be «degreased» and made rough. This is necessary in order for the previous and newly applied coating to have a larger contact area..
Degreasing is carried out 2 times — the first before processing with a grinding machine, the second after it (necessarily before applying the first layer of enamel). After you degrease the bath, wash it thoroughly.
How to upgrade your bath
To roughen the surface of the bathtub, use a grinder, abrasive block, or sander. It is important to expand all chips and cracks with a working tool! Next, go through the entire area of the bath well with a cord brush. The last stage of preparation — wash off all the dust, degrease the bath again and wait until it dries completely.
Before applying the enamel, remove the gaskets from the bath, turn off the drain, overflow. Remove all dust with a vacuum cleaner and start working with the metal body of the bath.
Place newspapers under the tub to avoid staining the floor. Dissolve 1 set of enamel in a container (mix 2 components) and use a brush to apply enamel from the edges to the bottom of the tub. The first layer is applied in alternating horizontal and vertical movements. Without waiting for the first coat to dry, apply the next coats. The second set of enamel is diluted and applied in exactly the same way.
After about a quarter of an hour, you need to remove the drips (smear with a brush from the bottom to the top). Do this every 10 minutes until the drips stop appearing. Complete drying of the bathtub will occur in 4 days, and you can safely use your renewed bathtub, which will delight you like new.!