How Do You Repair A Fiberglass Tub

Most modern homes take reward of the benefits of updated manufacturing and materials, containing fiberglass or acrylic bathtubs rather than traditional porcelain-coated cast fe or stainless steel. Affordable, attractive, and durable, fiberglass is notwithstanding prone to cracking and pitting overtime.

Fortunately, repairing a cracked or damaged tub or shower pan is a straightforward DIY chore that most homeowners tin can practice to save themselves money over an expensive replacement. The price to hire a professional to set up issues may show worth the modest investment to ensure the crusade of the issue is addressed to prevent futurity problems.

This guide covers the basics for fixing all shower floors, including bases and pans, but information technology mainly focuses on the virtually common result – fiberglass tub repair.

This projection costs an average of $20 to $240, depending on the extent of repairs needed and whether y'all hire a professional or handle fixing the harm on your own. Small impairment oftentimes only requires an epoxy kit, bachelor at nigh habitation improvement stores. More than extensive cracks and chips may require drywall mud, special two-component cream, and patches. Fifty-fifty at the loftier finish, repairing is considerably less expensive than installing a new tub, and information technology commonly just takes 4 to six hours including drying time.

On This Folio:

1. Repairing a Fiberglass Tub
   1. Tools Needed
   2. Assessing the Extent of the Impairment
   3. Purchasing a Kit
   4. Steps
2. Repairing a Fiberglass Shower Pan
3. Care & Maintenance Tips
4. Acrylic Tub & Shower
5. Fixing a Tile Pan
   1. Tools
   2. Steps
6. DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

Repairing a Fiberglass Tub

No matter how bad a crack or an indentation may look, the process is the same every bit if it was a piddling pit. In either case, it'due south surprisingly simple. By using a bones epoxy kit with a few essential items, repairing a fiberglass tub takes as picayune as ane day, with most of that time spent as the chemical compound dries.

Materials and Tools Needed

In general, this project requires minimal tools. For starters, you'll demand household cleaner and a sponge to make clean the surface area before getting started. Additionally, you'll need:

• Protective gear (goggles, respirator or mask and gloves)
• Rotary tool
• Drill
• 80-dust sanding paper
• Fine grit sanding paper
• Cellophane tape
• 2-component foam
• Fiberglass mesh/material
• Fiberglass repair kit

What Blazon of Repair? Cleft, Chip or Hole?

Assessing the damage is the first footstep to determining the blazon of repair needed. Over fourth dimension, heavy use can leave fiberglass, acrylic and other tub and shower materials vulnerable to peachy and chipping. Additionally, if something heavy drops on the surface, information technology could leave a large fissure or a substantial hole, especially if the base isn't properly supported.

Superficial chips, cracks and scratches may only crave simple filling and refinishing. But for big ones, a professional should address the potential underlying problem and add extra support to the structure before patching and refinishing the base.

What to Look for in a Bathtub Repair Kit

To make your repair simple and stress-gratis, look for an spread-out kit that has everything you need to set up most problems. Minimally, kits include:

• Polyester resin/epoxy in putty or paste form
• Liquid hardener
• Mixing stick and tray or mat
• Sandpaper of diverse grits
• Protective gloves
• Colorants for common tub hues (i.e. almond, fair), if needed
• Finishing shine

For larger cracks and pits, it may too be necessary to purchase fiberglass mesh to reinforce the putty and make it less likely to dimple. As a rule, utilize mesh for whatever crack wider than a quarter-inch or an open hole that is too large to fill in with the resin mixture alone. More extensive issues acquired by improper installation and back up may crave drilling shallow holes in the tub, filling those holes with two-component foam, and adding fiberglass patches before using a refinishing kit.

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Step-by-Step Guide

Filling a small hole or crack in fiberglass is a simple process, but you lot should set aside a whole day to let fourth dimension for the mixture to harden between steps. For this reason, this is a adept job to begin in the morning and complete throughout the day between other home improvement projects. Repairs are similar for acrylic tubs, simply we'll comprehend the differences between the two processes beneath.

1. 1. Prepare the Area – Earlier getting started, make clean the surface area with household cleaner and a sponge. Apply rubbing alcohol, acetone, or a similar solvent capable of removing oils, soap scum, and drinking glass fibers.

1. 1. Drill equally Needed – When a lack of support is the root of the trouble, you demand to address the effect caput on. Instead of removing the tub and rebuilding the support arrangement, drill six to eight pocket-sized holes in the tub and add together foam (see adjacent stride). If you aren't working on the underlying support, but y'all're repairing a crack, use a rotary tool with eighty-grit sand paper to grind a bevel that's about i ane/2 inches wide centered on the crack.

1. 1. Add Two-Component Foam – For extra support, inject ii-component foam into the holes that you drilled. It sets in a few minutes and creates a strong foundation.

1. 1. Apply a Patch – If using fiberglass mesh, lay it over the scissure or hole to measure, and so trim information technology so that it is slightly larger than the opening it is to comprehend. More than one layer may exist necessary for especially deep holes.

1. 1. Mix the Filler – While wearing protective gloves, mix the resin putty and hardener as directed by your repair kit, adding colorant if working with a non-white tub. Utilize the provided mixing stick and tray and put information technology atop a piece of fleck cardboard to prevent accidental spills onto porous bath surfaces.

1. 1. Repair the Crack, Chip or Hole – Immediately spread the mixture into the crack or pigsty, or on top of the fiberglass mesh. Have care to work information technology in thoroughly to get it into all crevices and prevent dimpling. Don't be afraid to pile the mixture atop the hole to make full information technology in completely; yous will be sanding information technology later.

1. 1. Permit the Mixture to Set – Allow the mixture to set up in the pigsty for 2-iii hours or longer for larger, deeper holes. In one case gear up, employ the sandpaper to advisedly smoothen the surface. This might accept some time and elbow grease.

1. Refinish the Surface – Use the finishing polish to complete the patch and help the new surface area blend into the tub.

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Repairing a Fiberglass Shower Pan

If y'all're repairing the floor of a fiberglass stall, the method you use to complete a patch is no unlike than in a larger tub. Yet, because most of the surface of the base is horizontal and flat, it is possible to fix and reinforce larger holes and pits with scrap plywood in addition to epoxy, but simply if you have access to the back or lesser of the pan. Some quick steps are:

1. Spread epoxy on the plywood and press it onto the scissure, from the unexposed side of the pan, to seal it.
2. Apply the upper layer of epoxy on the exposed surface and sand it down.

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Fiberglass Tub Care and Maintenance Tips

Like almost habitation fixtures, when it comes to extending the life of your tub, preventing problems is the best solution. Your beginning line of defence information technology regular cleaning with the correct blazon of cleaner and methods. This material responds best to mild soap, similar dish soap, or even just a paste of baking soda and h2o. This is because the coating is thin and field of study to wear over time. For this same reason, it is important to never utilize annoying cleaners on these fixtures.

To maintain the luster of a single- or double-piece fiberglass tub, y'all might also consider giving information technology a regular polishing using automotive finishing products designed for fiberglass. Avoid using waxing products on this blazon of floor as this poses a prophylactic risk when the shower is in utilise.

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Acrylic Tub & Shower Repair

Acrylic is another ordinarily used material that can oft be repaired instead of replaced. The steps are similar, but slightly different.

1. 1. Drill 1/4-inch holes in a 1-human foot square around the harm, being careful to avoid drilling all the way through.

1. 1. Fill the holes with insulating cream to halt the acrylic from flexing after you lot've repaired the crack. Remove whatever cream leaking from the holes with a arts and crafts knife before sanding over the dried foam with a 240-course sandpaper.

1. 1. Drill holes at either end of the crack, avoiding drilling through the acrylic.

1. 1. Apply a ii-part polyester filler to repair the damage, spreading it evenly over the drill holes and the crack with a rubber spreader.

1. 1. One time the filler is dry, sand it smooth and level with the balance of the tub'south surface.

1. 1. Wipe over the area with denatured booze to remove whatever dust.

1. Apply bathtub repair paint to create a smooth, well-matched surface. One time the pigment dries, add together a final layer of urethane compound, and vitrify the area to create a smooth, difficult finish.

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How to Repair a Tile Shower Floor

If the crack is minor, you lot may be able to repair it without incurring the toll of retiling the area. Otherwise, you'll need to remove the damaged tiles and supersede them before re-grouting.

Tools & Materials Needed

• Grout saw
• Drill with a masonry fleck
• Chisel
• Scraper
• Notched trowel
• Tile adhesive or thinset
• Grout
• Sponge/rags

Step-past-Stride Guide

When removing the tile,

1. 1. Use a grout saw to remove the grout surrounding the affected tile/tiles.

1. 1. Drill a hole through the center of the damaged tile, or several holes in a large tile.

1. 1. Interruption the tile into pocket-size pieces using the chisel, and utilise the scraper to remove them along with the thinset or tile agglutinative behind the damaged tile.

1. 1. Apply a fresh coat of thinset or tile adhesive with a notched trowel or a putty knife if y'all're working in a small area.

1. 1. Press the new tile in identify and permit the agglutinative dry before grouting over the repair.

1. Use a damp sponge to remove excess grout from the tile. Allow the grout to cure before using the shower.

When repairing the tile for a pocket-size fleck or scissure,

1. 1. Clean the area with a mixture of oxygen bleach powder and water.

1. 1. Employ epoxy mucilage over the expanse to level it with the residue of the tile.

1. 1. Paint over the repair with a porcelain touch on up kit to match information technology to the undamaged tile.

1. 1. Let the paint dry and add together a coat of articulate urethane.

1. Once everything is dry, wipe over the area with a clammy cloth.

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DIY Considerations

Depending on the extent of the harm, this is a uncomplicated DIY project. If you decide to DIY this fix, make sure you lot let yourself enough of time to let the epoxy and other materials used in the repair dry between steps. Additionally, consider covering the surface area beyond the surface you're working on with cellophane tape to prevent the refinishing materials from running over the intact role of the tub or shower pan.

If you suspect that the cleft or hole has created water damage in the subfloor, or if the project feels like it's more than you want to take on, hire a pro to do the piece of work for you.

Source: https://www.homeadvisor.com/r/fiberglass-shower-repair/

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