Bathrooms are a very important part of our apartments andhouses. With the advent of bathrooms, the process of maintaining cleanliness of the body has become not only more accessible and easier, but also much more pleasant. All people love comfort and aesthetics, so it is not surprising that the industry is constantly improving bath equipment. The enameled ones replaced the cast iron, they were replaced by plastic and acrylic.
Why do people choose acrylic
This modern material is constantly gainingpopularity. It doesn’t make a noise when entering water, as its predecessor is enamel; it is not as heavy as cast iron, so even one person is able to install a bath. At the same time, acrylic containers hold the temperature well, and their coating does not peel off over time, therefore it does not require regular restoration. And due to the initial flexibility of the material, it is possible to make a “pool” of any configuration - at least angular, even round, and even an intricate shape. At the same time, such bathing equipment allows embedding of additional units, which greatly expands the functions of the purchase.
Different baths - different repair methods
However, no matter how good the material is, carelesscirculation or long and active operation will sooner or later lead to the need to repair the acrylic bath. And before you start it, you need to find out how your bowl was made. This is especially important if you are going to repair acrylic baths with your own hands, and not to call a special brigade.
Methods for creating this useful equipmentonly two: spraying a gelcoat on the surface or forming a vacuum. Note that most of the products sold are of vacuum origin. To determine whether this is so, you can already at the time of purchase: such baths are supplied packed in protective film. Repairing an acrylic bath made in this way requires the use of polymethyl methacrylate, which is also called liquid acrylic. If the bath chosen by you is made in a different way, it will need a gelcoat for its restoration; most often it is included in the kit for the repair of acrylic baths supplied by the manufacturer, complete with plumbing fixtures.
Necessary equipment
First of all, you need a sandpaper of differentgrit. If the chips or cracks are small, then only fine sanding paper will be enough. But if the defects are serious, get necessarily and coarse. You may need a drill. And, of course, repair kit for repairing acrylic baths. If it is not included in the delivery list, you will have to buy it - it is sold separately, in any hardware store. Note that such kits are for minor repairs, and for the elimination of deep damage. It includes a special resin in a volume of 200 ml, a hardener - a tube of 2 ml - and a special material. And so that the repair of the acrylic bath was later as less visible as possible, take care of the selection of paint, which later damage will be toned. Do not be mistaken: even white color has a lot of shades, so it is best to be vigilant. In the passport to the European baths are usually indicated color marking - look for just such a tone.
Putty: for minor defects
Repairing an acrylic bath begins with a stripper.Appropriate sandpaper carefully removed the roughness, after which the repaired place degreased with alcohol. Some people make the mistake of using acetone - this is totally wrong. The resin included in the repair kit is diluted with a hardener according to the instructions, and the composition is carefully mixed. A small part of it is embedded in a crack, the attached material is laid on top, which is impregnated with the same composition. The resulting layer dries for three hours, after which the operation is repeated twice more, with a break for drying. When the last layer is completely dry, fine sandpaper will be used to smooth out the repair area. It only remains to paint it.
Repair tape - fast and convenient
Large chips or cracks, in principle, canfix in the same way. However, if your acrylic bath has suffered quite seriously, experts recommend repairing cracks with a special tape. This is where a thin drill comes in handy. The damage is traditionally cleaned, small holes are drilled at its ends, the whole area is washed, dried and treated with alcohol. By the size of the crack, a piece of repair tape is cut off (it should go somewhere beyond a centimeter beyond the edges of the defect). The protective film is removed, the adhesive side is applied to the right place and pressed to expel all air bubbles. To dry the bath will be the same 3 hours, the main thing is to make sure that water does not get there (the tap does not leak, the child does not indulge). If the repair of acrylic baths with their own hands is done with the help of repair tape, painting will still be necessary. Depending on the manufacturer, the painted product may dry at different times; but on average, your plumbing unit will be unavailable for two days.
To repair needed soon
Ancient wisdom about the fact that preventionAlways cheaper and better than treatment, and your plumbing. Some defects are often caused by the fact that people do not know or forget the rules for using acrylic. So, it is absolutely not recommended to pour boiling water into these baths. Those who are accustomed to the cast-iron or steel versions, ignore this indication and get a lot of cracks at the site of hot water. Negligence is the second reason for the spoiled appearance of an acrylic bath. Do not place sharp, heavy or breakable items on the shelves above it (for example, glass bottles with deodorant). The risk of falling always exists, and the result will be chipped. Washing dogs — especially large dogs and those who don’t like this procedure — may well be the cause of the damage. For hand washing acrylic is also not very suitable: here you and the impact of hard ribs of the basin, and the subsequent pouring into the bath unsuitable solutions (the same bleach, for example). It is also unacceptable to wash the surface with abrasives or hard (especially wire) sponges and brushes. Anyway, after using the bath or washing it is better to wipe the bottom and walls dry. So if you take your plumbing with care, you will not need to repair the acrylic bath soon.
