No matter how much you want, but the bath cannot last forever. Time does its job: chips, cracks and rust appear on it. The smoothness and brilliance of the coating is not worth talking about.
I don’t want to take water procedures in such a bath at all, because it seems dirty, regardless of whether it was cleaned today or not. There is, of course, a way out of this situation. This is either to buy a new one, or to give your "old girlfriend" a second life by updating the enamel on the bathtub.
Buying a new bath is expensive and troublesome. In addition to cash costs, you will have to dismantle the old one and take it to a landfill. The bathroom may also require repairs, especially if the bathtub itself was tiled. Therefore, coating the bath with enamel is the best option. Moreover, to carry it out under the force of an ordinary person.
There are two ways to restore enamel: do-it-yourself enamel coating of the bathtub or resort to the services of specialists.
Types of coverage updates
You can restore the bath of any sample: both standard and non-standard.
The following types of enamel renewal are distinguished:
- coating the bath with enamel or acrylic;
- bulk method of coating the bath (glass);
- insertion of a bathtub into a bathtub (acrylic insert).
The steps of enamel bath
The recovery process varies in the materials used and the methods of work. Enamel bath coating consists of two stages:
- preparatory stage;
- direct application of enamel.
Preparatory phase for recovery
From this stage, enamel coating of the bath begins. The reviews of experienced masters suggest that initially it is necessary to make the surface of the old bathtub smooth. To do this, sandpaper cleans chips, scratches and formed rust. Sandpaper should be fine-grained and specifically designed for metal. Surfaces must be treated very carefully.
In the event that the rust has “settled” deep enough, it is necessary to remove it with oxalic acid. The removal process looks like this: the acid is mixed with water until a porridge-like state, after which it is applied to the rusted areas with a tissue swab. After half an hour, the bath is thoroughly washed with water. It should be borne in mind that if you leave the acid for a longer time, it will corrode the enamel.
Secondly, the surface of the bath is degreased with acetone or gasoline. To do this, the surface is swab dipped in the indicated liquids.
In the third turn, the bath is filled with hot water and kept for 15 minutes. After time, the water is drained, and the surface is well dried.
It is imperative to achieve such a state of the bath so that liquid droplets are not only absent on the enameled surface, but also in its pores. Therefore, the bath is usually dried by a draft or a fan.
After the preparatory phase, it is necessary to restore or enamel the bath.
Enamel application in various ways
Consider the main ways to restore enamel:
- restoration of the entire surface of the enameled bath;
- restoration of only damaged areas;
- deep cracking;
- restoration of porous surfaces.
Consider the first method, which involves restoration using a primer. This method is used if it is necessary to update the entire surface of the bath. After preliminary preparation, a primer layer is uniformly applied to the bath and left to dry for a long time. Experts advise using a primer in spray cans, as it lays well and is most convenient to use.
The primer must be applied in several layers with a roller or tampon. An important condition is the heating of the bath during the work. Since high room humidity can cause severe cracks in the applied material.
After a few hours after the last stage, the bath is treated with a solvent. It smoothes the surface and gives the enameled bath the desired glossy sheen. After three days, it is necessary to polish the bath using any polishing agent.
Consider the second method. In this case, not the entire surface is restored, but only small damaged areas (small chips). To do this, apply special BF-2 glue with a brush , which is mixed with white and is in a dry state. The mixture is applied in several layers until it is equal to the level of coverage of the bath.
Consider the third method. In case of very deep cracks it is necessary to use Supercement glue and nitro enamel for processing. The glue is applied in several layers in the same way as the primer. Moreover, between the application of the layers should be an interval of 24 hours. Sometimes specialists use a mixture consisting of epoxy resin and titanium white in a 2: 1 ratio. Whitewash is sometimes replaced with powder made from porcelain fragments. After drying, the surface is leveled with a blade. The disadvantage of this method is that the mixture dries for about 5 days. But the resulting coverage will last much longer than any other.
Consider the fourth method. If the surface of the bath is porous, it is recommended to use nitro-paint. It is applied to the surface and rubbed well. Paint with this technology fills all the bumps. The procedure must be repeated several times. As a topcoat, it is better to use paint in spray cans, which uniformly paints the entire surface.
Do-it-yourself bath restoration
The article below indicates the stages of the work that needs to be done if the coating of the old bathtub with enamel is updated. At first glance, it does not look very complicated. But this is far from the case. There are subtleties in technology. The applied enamel not only paints over the old, but is applied to a well-prepared surface. When applying enamel, drips and bubbles should not be allowed. Otherwise, the renewed enamel will dry off after drying. In addition, it must be metered with pharmacy subtlety, which a professional master will do well.
Bulk method
The essence of the restoration is that enamel cast-iron bathtubs carry liquid acrylic. The technology is used in bathtubs of all sizes. Acrylic baths have virtually no pores, which cannot be said about enameled ones. When you touch the bath, it feels warm.
Initially, the master cleans the damaged surface with a drill with a nozzle or does it manually. Then he fills the old bathtub with an acrylic coating, which was specially designed for domestic bathtubs. The process begins with the upper sides and then goes down the walls. Stacril can be of different colors: beige, purple, lettuce, white, orange, pink, black, red, burgundy, blue, green and brown.
Two days after the completion of work, it is allowed to use the bathroom. Experts say that the durability of the coating is about 20 years.
Acrylic liner
It is a prefabricated stamped finished product, which in size and shape matches the standard bathrooms. The thickness of the insert is usually about 6 mm. Repairing the enamel coating of the bath in this case will take a little time and effort.
Bath operation after enamel restoration
It is necessary to treat the updated surface quite accurately, since it is far from new. No need to test its strength characteristics and use when cleaning:
- powder;
- pastes;
- acid;
- various bleaches;
- other aggressive chemicals.
If you adhere to the above recommendations, the bath will last long enough and will delight its owners with brilliance and whiteness.
If we consider coating the bath with enamel with our own hands and at the factory, then, of course, in the conditions of production, the process will be better. Since the metal is necessarily subjected to heating in the workshop before painting, so that the enamel lasts long enough.
The cheapest way to restore is enamelled cast iron bath. Reviews of people talk about the disadvantages of this technology:
- during work it smells strongly of paint;
- the coating is short-lived.
Enameled bathtub by professionals
A master in the field of restoration will make the bath cover better than any beginner. But finding a suitable and reliable company is quite difficult.
This is due to the fact that the most important condition for the durability of a new coating is surface preparation and thorough degreasing, which the craftsmen will do well. The standard scheme for a professional bath cover is as follows:
- First of all, you need to call the bath repair company and agree on the date of the work. This usually happens 5 days before the start of work.
- At the second stage, a master comes to you and enamels the cast-iron bathtubs, which takes about 3-5 hours.
- In the third stage, the bath will have to dry for about 48 hours.
- After this period of time, the bathroom cannot be used for 5-7 days.
- After all stages are completed, a calculation with the master takes place. A guarantee of quality is a signed act on the acceptance and delivery of work. The validity period of the act is 1 year.
In order for the bath to last long enough, you need to know how long the company has been operating in the market and what warranty period it gives for its work. The longer the term, the better and better the company works. Be sure to ask the masters how to care for the new coating of the bath and what actions can not be done with it.