Contents
Sooner or later, the enamel on the bath turns gray, covered with spots and rusty streaks, chips appear. Replacement often entails an almost complete repair, and this is solid money. There are several ways to update a bath and one of them is an acrylic bath insert. You just need to “plant” it on a special foam and the bath will be like new again.
Types of acrylic inserts in the bath
There are two technologies for the production of acrylic bath liners. The first technology is molding from a heated sheet of sanitary acrylic in a special mold. These liners are called cast. The second technology is composite (combined) liners. The base is made of ABS plastic, after which the inner surface is covered with a thin layer of acrylic.
Cast inserts
The cast acrylic bath insert has a very smooth surface that is easy to care for. Acrylic pores are small, dirt does not penetrate into them well, and what remains on the surface is easily washed off. If everything is done according to technology, such an insert can last up to 10 years or more.
The disadvantages of cast liners are that when molded to the maximum (bottom and corners), the walls turn out to be very thin, quickly rubbed, and sometimes break.
The disadvantage is the high price, since sanitary acrylic itself costs a lot, and even the equipment on which it is made is expensive. So it turns out that a cast liner costs about 30% of the cost of a new bathtub.
To reduce the cost, low-quality acrylic (not sanitary) can be used. It has wider pores and its color is non-white, and with some shade – grayish or pinkish. Such liners are very poorly washed and can only be washed with special compositions with a soft texture. In general, the use of such a low-quality product is very problematic.
Composite
Composite liners are made from two materials – a base made of ABS plastic, on top of which a thin layer of acrylic is applied. Outwardly, they differ little from fully acrylic, but cost much less. But they also serve less, since a thin layer of acrylic in the most loaded places is quickly erased. The service life of such an insert is 5-6 years even with good quality.
They are worse in operation – acrylic can be scratched, and repaired is difficult. While a cast acrylic liner can be resurfaced by sanding, a composite liner cannot. To restore the surface, a complex technology is used, which does not always give a good result. Another problem is the peeling of acrylic from the base. Such a defect appears when the manufacturing technology is violated. Therefore, the installation of such an acrylic insert in the bath will extend its service life by a maximum of several years.
Insert selection
So, when choosing a cast insert in the bath, pay attention to:
- Acrylic color. A good insert will be white, without shades. The surface is perfectly even and smooth, slightly silky to the touch.
- Wall thickness. The easiest way to evaluate it is on the sides. We choose according to the principle the thicker the better. If allowed, you can try to bend the walls in the bottom area. With slight pressure, the acrylic should bend a few millimeters, but not much, and even more so, it should not wrinkle.
- We carefully examine the surface inside and out. Everything should be even and smooth. Irregularities are acceptable at the edges, but their condition should not be catastrophic. Any sags and other defects are a sign of poor quality.
Installation highlights
First of all, it must be said that acrylic liners can only be found for standard bathtubs. For everything to work for a long time, the shape match must be perfect, therefore they are molded according to the pattern. In fact, they make the same bath, but from a polymer. Therefore, this technology is also called “bath to bath”.
If you decide to improve the appearance of the bath using this technology, you will need to accurately measure it. The proposed dimensions of 150×70 or 170×70 do not say anything yet, you need to know more depth.
In addition, the bath should be standard and have thick walls, which gives little dimensional change under load. The ideal case is cast iron tubs. With their thick walls and high mass, they are the best support for insertion.
You can put an acrylic liner in a steel bath, but only if it bends very slightly. The thing is that with changes in size, acrylic also flexes. If the bends are too significant, then after a while the liner will crack. Therefore, if your old bathtub sags, give up the idea of putting an acrylic liner, it may be better to restore the coating with self-leveling acrylic. Another option is to make a rigid pedestal under the bath (made of bricks, for example), which will not allow it to sag.
Bath preparation
Before starting work, the bath must be thoroughly cleaned. If it has a side trim, the trim must be removed. When finishing – a side of tiles, you can not remove it if the edge remains at least 1 cm free. After that, you must carefully remove traces of silicone, cement, glue – in general, clean the sides to clean enamel. Next, remove the connected plums.
Next, wash the bath itself. Moreover, it must not only be washed from dirt, but also thoroughly degreased to improve adhesion during installation. Then, rub it well with a sponge and baking soda. It is necessary to rub carefully every centimeter, including the sides. After that, everything is washed off, and the bath is dried.
The second way to prepare the tub for insertion is to remove the enamel. This can be done manually with sandpaper fixed to a bar, or with a grinder attachment (a flap wheel works best). After the enamel is removed, everything must be washed, then also degreased and dried.
Which way is more reliable? Second. But such training takes a lot of time and effort. The first method, if done correctly, works just as well.
Insert preparation
When preparing the insert in the bathroom, you need to cut its sides to the required size and make holes in the right places. To do this, put the insert in the bath, mark all the necessary places and take it out.
Although the liner is light, but voluminous. Installing and removing it is very convenient. Suction cup handles (for carrying glasses) will help well, or a wide luggage belt passed under the bottom can help.
After pulling out the liner, cut it along the marked lines. This can be done with a jigsaw or a hacksaw. It is advisable to find a special canvas – for plastic, but you can try the usual one for metal. The main condition is that the edge must be smooth, without burrs. If necessary, the edge can be processed with sandpaper, but the adjacent surfaces of the bathtub must not be scratched.
You can use a grinder for trimming an edge only if you master it and can cut exactly along the intended line. To cut holes, you need a screwdriver or drill, and crowns of the appropriate size. With their help, we make holes for draining and overflowing. Stock up on clamps to secure the edges.
Installing the liner
An acrylic insert is installed in the bathtub on a two-component polyurethane foam. You can’t use ordinary building material, it will not give the desired effect. Technological holes for draining and overflowing are coated with a layer of silicone sealant. In this place, tightness is very important, since many problems arise precisely because water penetrates between the liner and the body of the bath. Therefore, we do not regret the sealant, we put it in a thick shaft. It is better to impose it with two rings for safety net.
After that, with a two-component foam, we create a lattice over the entire surface of the bath. The distance between the foam strips is about 10 cm, smaller at the bottom. The application scheme is arbitrary, but the substance should be distributed evenly. You can take a photo as a basis. The foam must be applied quickly, the polymerization start time is 15 minutes, before this time the insert must be put in place.
Further, the acrylic insert in the bath is installed in place, well crimped. The bottom requires more effort – it is necessary to compress carefully. And also press the liner well around the holes and along the sides. Fix the edges with clamps.
The next step is the installation of the drain. The overflow can be left for later, but the drain will need to be installed. In the case of a siphon, consider in advance whether there is enough thread to install it in a bathroom with an insert.
After the drain is installed, the bath is filled with water almost to the overflow hole and left so until the polymerization is completed. The specific period depends on the foam, it can be found on the packaging. Water is poured in so that the expanding foam does not bend the liner.
While the foam is polymerizing, close up the joint between the insert and the bath around the perimeter. To do this, take a silicone white or transparent sealant (not acrylic). So that subsequently the silicone does not darken or a fungus or mold does not start in it, look for compounds with antibacterial components. You can also use aquarium sealant. It is definitely not affected by fungi, verified. After that, you can restore the border around the perimeter of the bathroom.
That’s all, the installation of the insert in the bath is completed, after the polymerization of the foam, it is ready for use.
Removing the insert in the bath
Violations in the installation technology lead to unpleasant phenomena:
- If there is not enough foam, the insert may burst under load.
Broken acrylic sheet - If the drain hole is not carefully sealed, water will flow between the walls, bloom, rot and begin to “smell”.
In these cases, it becomes necessary to remove the insert. Do this with a grinder with a small cutting wheel. They cut it in some places and prying off the acrylic, remove the insert.