Over time, the coating of a cast iron or steel bath is inevitably lost, and the product begins to lose its attractive appearance - the gloss disappears, the coating becomes rough, rusty streaks appear. That is, the old bath will have to be changed, and this will result in a tidy sum. In addition, the replacement of the bath will inevitably entail the repair of the bathroom, even if partial, and accordingly the costs will increase. But there is another way out - to restore the bath yourself. The modern market offers a very wide variety of materials for the restoration of old cast iron and steel baths. With their help, you can easily upgrade your old bath and thus avoid unnecessary costs. About how to restore the old bath, what materials will be needed for this, how much the restoration will cost, we will tell in this publication.
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Several ways to restore the bath at home
You can update your bath yourself in three different ways:
- Cover the cup with new enamel
- Pour the surface with acrylic or stakrilom.
- Install inside the liner from acrylic.
If you have never heard of the restoration of old baths, the work at first glance seems difficult, there are questions - where do I get the enamel, acrylic, and, especially, the liner that would come to my bath? However, the task seems difficult to achieve only at first glance - in specialized stores there are many wear-resistant and inexpensive materials from a variety of manufacturers.
How to restore a bath with enamel
To do this, you will need a kit for restoration work and a little sandpaper.
At the preparatory stage, it is necessary to remove the remains of the old enamel coating. For this purpose, a special cleaning powder is poured into the bath and the old coating is gradually removed with the help of a sandpaper or a small abrasive stone. Work should be carefully and carefully, so that the new coating is laid down, as expected, and was durable.
After cleaning the bath from the old coating is finished, the rests of the cleaning powder should be washed off with water, and if necessary, repeat the entire process. In the corners of the bath can remain the old paint, it is difficult to remove. In this case, you can try to dissolve the remains of the enamel with acid.
At the last stage of preparation, completely wash off the powder and particles of the old enamel, degrease the surface of the bath. After that, fill the bath with hot water for 10-15 minutes, drain the water, and wipe the bath dry. The treated surface should be smooth and matt.
Now you can go directly to the restoration process. Mix the two-component enamel with the hardener (set for the restoration of the bath). There are already ready-to-apply aerosols on the market, which is certainly easier to use, but it is recommended to use two-component can ink after all, since it has a much longer service life.
Before applying the enamel, the surface of the bath must be primed with a roller or brush (the primer is also included in the restoration kit). The primer layer should not contain hairs from the brush, sweat and air bubbles are unacceptable. After the primer has completely dried, you can start applying the first coat of paint. Apply at least two layers of enamel, but not more than four. After applying each layer it is necessary to wait for about an hour until it dries, and only then apply the next. Thus, the entire process of applying paint takes at least 3-4 hours. As soon as the last layer of enamel dries, it must be treated with a solvent, this will make the surface smooth and glossy.
After the restoration of the bathroom can not be used for about a week, as the enamel completely dries only after 24 hours, but "load" it can only be at least 5 days.
As you can see, it is not so difficult to restore the bath at home with enamel. The work done by yourself differs from the work that the master does, only in value (2000-3000 rubles against 5000-6000), without any damage to quality - that is, it is also quite profitable.
advantages and disadvantages of enamel coating
The job will require some skill and skill. As can be understood from the above material, the restoration of a bath with enamel is quite a troublesome business, and a new enamel coating is unlikely to last more than three to four years.
But, at the same time, this is the cheapest way to update your old bath.
Restoration with enamel is recommended in the following cases:
- If you are planning to sell an apartment, and urgent bath repairs are needed.
- If you live in a rented apartment.
In such situations, do not even think about the better the restoration of the bath, the enamel coating is an ideal option. In all other cases, it is recommended to consider more reliable and durable options - restoration of the acrylic tank capacity or installation of an acrylic liner.
How to restore a bath with acrylic
The essence of the process is quite simple - on the prepared surface is applied acrylic. In this case, the brush or roller is not used - acrylic is simply poured onto the surface, it spreads on its own, and the remnants go into the drain hole, under which you need to install any suitable container. The result is a coating thickness of up to 0.5 centimeters. Consider the process of restoration of the bath with acrylic in more detail.
First you need to prepare the surface of the bath. Here we do everything exactly as in the preparation for enameling - we remove the old coating with sandpaper and abrasive materials, after which the surface is degreased and dried.
After this, starting from the upper sides, over the entire surface of the bath, we begin to pour acrylic. It will slowly drain to the bottom, leaving an even coating layer behind it. As already mentioned above, under the drain hole you need to put a container to collect the remains of acrylic.
Well, that's all. The bathroom can be used after 2-6 days, the period depends on the type of coverage. You can use not only white acrylic - on sale there is a coating of different colors and shades. Thus, you can choose a color that fits perfectly into the interior of the bathroom. Acrylic coating is durable, its service life is not less than 15 years
advantages and disadvantages of acrylic coating
The merits include, first of all, the ease of applying liquid acrylic. Do not need to fuss with the roller or brush for a long time, leaving the streaks and villi from the brush.
Do not have to tear off the tile near the edge of the bath - saving nerves, time and money. Acrylic coating is very reliable and will serve you more than one decade.
As for the shortcomings, then, perhaps, he is the only one - the high cost of liquid acrylic, when compared with enamel. However, do not forget that the enamel coating will have to be updated every few years, and if you consider that acrylic will last at least five times longer, then the cost of enamel coating can be multiplied by five. And that's not to mention the laboriousness of the process of applying enamel. In general, the cheapness of enamel is a rather doubtful advantage.
Bath restoration with acrylic liner
If you prefer this method of restoration, then you will only need to take off the internal dimensions of the bath and place the order of the liner in the store. If your bath is of standard size, then you do not need to order anything - you just need to buy a ready-made liner.
After the liner is bought, you only need to remove the tiles from the sides of the bathroom and adjust the drain holes of the bathroom to the new liner. Further we put on the surface of the bath and liner sealant, and tightly press them against each other. In order for the surfaces to fit tightly together, the bath can be filled with water for several hours. You can use the updated bathroom after a day.
The acrylic liner has a thickness of about 4 mm, so you will not notice a decrease in the volume of the bath. The cost of the liner is 60-100 $, and for installation specialist will have to pay about the same.
advantages and disadvantages of acrylic liner
The merits include, first of all, the reliability of the material. The insert is a ready-made structure, with a uniform wall thickness, completely ready for installation.
Easy installation - you do not have to do anything at all with the old coating - the insert can be installed with a rhinestone.
Of the shortcomings we note a fairly high cost of the product. Restoration of the bath with an acrylic liner is the most expensive method of all of the above.
In addition, you will have to dismantle the tiles from the sides of the tub. In case the bathtub has non-standard sizes, it will be necessary to make an individual order, which, naturally, will be somewhat more expensive.
As you can see, restoring a bath with your own hands is not such a difficult thing. And except for the updated bath you, undoubtedly, will receive satisfaction from independently done work, not to mention the saved money, time and nerves.
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