In order for the bathtub, and the room itself, to look neat and attractive after laying the tiles, a special baseboard is laid at the joints of the tiles and other elements of the room. There are two main types of borders, one of which is made in the form of a self-adhesive tape, and the second is a plinth made in the form of a corner. The latter option, as a rule, is much cheaper, as it is made of plastic, which in itself has a low price.
Such plastic curbs for a bath (a photo of them can be found in the article) serve not only as decorative elements, but also as excellent sealing for joints, which protects the junction from moisture and dirt. As a result, you get rid of the need to wipe the floor every time after a shower.
Self-adhesive bathroom border
A similar border made in the form of silicone tape has a self-adhesive base, which is attached to the surfaces of the bathtub and wall. Such a border has all the characteristics of a classic skirting board, but is made of soft silicone, which allows you to install it without extra effort. At the same time, using this option is relevant if the bath is well fixed, and the gap between it and the wall surface is quite narrow.
Moreover, the installation of such a border does not require the use of an adhesive, unless the adhesive on the base of the tape is not suitable for the type of material on which the baseboard is attached. In this case, if the purchase has already been completed, in principle, you can clean the base of the tape border from the glue on it and fix it already on a more suitable adhesive.
In addition, the use of silicone sealant is not required for a self-adhesive border, since the baseboard itself sufficiently waterproofs the joint. Unfortunately, such a border, as a rule, does not have a very long service life, therefore it is used as a temporary option. Another unpleasant moment is the cost of this baseboard, which is quite high.
What are the good curbs in the form of a corner?
In addition to its low cost, the plastic border for the bathroom has a number of advantages, which often tip the scales in his favor.
So, on the baseboard there is no already applied glue, so you can choose the most suitable composition, applicable specifically for your operating conditions. At the same time, you won’t have to scrape off the “native” glue, as often happens when using self-adhesive tape.
In addition, plastic curbs for the bathroom in the form of a corner are very useful in cases where, as a result of installation, the gap between the wall and the edge of the washing container is quite wide.
A skirting board from a self-adhesive tape is unlikely to close such a gap, and even if you manage to close the gap, then most likely such a border will peel off quite quickly.
The plastic border for the bathroom gives additional rigidity to the fixation of the bath, while it is practically not affected by vibration and high humidity.
Varieties of plastic borders
The plastic border is mainly made of polyvinyl chloride, which has a number of properties that make its use the most preferred option.
The plinth made of plastic is available in a variety of colors, which allows you to choose the most suitable option for the interior of the bathroom. In addition, the material of execution allows you to make products with different textures, as well as convex, concave, with a pattern or plain.
If the bathtub has an oval or round shape, you can purchase a plastic border with high flexibility. Some manufacturers produce skirting boards with rubberized edges, which provides increased sealing joints. At the same time, a plastic bath border is not necessary to use only for this capacity, the baseboard is perfect for sinks.
Mainly, plinths with a length of 180 cm and dimensions of 25 x 25 mm or 50 x 50 mm are used for installation. In this case, the package usually contains 35 pieces of such skirting boards.
What glue to choose for fixing the corner?
Not only the strength of the border fastening, but also the appearance of the final finish will depend on how correctly selected glue is.
The first rule: choose transparent sealants, since during installation the glue may protrude beyond the baseboard. Excess adhesive solution is removed with white spirit and a knife, more aggressive solvents can ruin the border, and the procedure must be carried out when the adhesive has already risen, but has not completely dried out. The solvent is softened with a solvent, and scraped with a knife from the surface of the wall or bath.
The second rule: apply glue that matches the look of the substrate. That is, if you attach the border to an acrylic bathtub, choose glue for plastic, an adhesive solution for wall panels or vinyl is also suitable.
The third rule: use glue with a quick setting, since when mounting the plastic bathroom border on the tile, it must be held until the initial rise of the glue.
Preparation of the base for mounting the skirting board
If once the plastic border for the bathroom has already been installed, it must be removed and the surface cleaned of the old adhesive. After that, the edge of the bathtub and the adjacent wall are cleaned of dirt with detergents, thoroughly rinsed with water and dried. Drying is best done with disposable paper towels that wipe the surface until it becomes dry. After which the bath and the wall are degreased with the same white spirit or gasoline. The same applies to the situation when the bathtub was installed long ago, and dirt gathered on the edges.
The gap is insulated with silicone sealant, which is applied before installing the bathroom curbs in the form of a corner.
Methods for mounting borders
If you have chosen to trim the plastic border for the bathroom, there are two ways to install.
You can install the skirting board even in the process of laying the tiles, then the upper edge of the curb is brought under the edge of the lower row of ceramic panels. This gives additional strength and waterproofing to the performance of the plinth.
If the wall covering is already ready and the plastic border for the bathroom is selected as the finish, installation carried out on top of ceramic tiles in compliance with gluing technology.
Materials and tools that will be required to install plastic skirting boards
In principle, you will need very few tools to carry out high-quality installation of borders:
- Silicone sealant that is designed to seal the gap between the wall and the bathroom. It is best to choose a special sanitary composition that contains additives that prevent the appearance of mold and fungus on its surface.
- Gun for applying sealant, foam or liquid nails.
- Roulette for measuring the required dimensions.
- Masking tape for gluing to the surface of the bath to avoid damage to the coating during installation.
- The curb itself in an amount sufficient for decoration. At the same time, consider the material in reserve, since the baseboard will need to be cut in some cases. Additional raw materials are determined at the rate of 10-15% of the main material.
- Hacksaw for cutting skirting boards.
- Rubber trowel for smoothing the sealant along the seam.
- White spirit for cleaning skirting boards and bath surfaces.
Installation of plastic borders
First of all, measure the bath with a tape measure and note the required length on the baseboard. A plastic bath border is cut with a hacksaw into pieces corresponding to the marking, after which the edges are cut at an angle of 45 degrees.
Before attaching the baseboard to the surface, it is necessary to check how it fits and how accurately the dimensions of the plastic curb for the bath are observed. For this, the plinth is laid out in places and the coincidence of the joints is checked.
Then, pressing each piece to the bathtub, a masking tape is glued on top and bottom of it at a distance of 2 mm. They remove the curb, as a result, two strips of masking tape should remain - one on the wall, the second on the bath. The container itself is covered with dense polyethylene to avoid contamination.
Features of gluing a border
Using a gun, the selected adhesive solution is applied to the joint so that a strip of glue passes between the two lines of masking tape.
They place a plastic bathroom border on the wall panel and the container itself and lightly press it on both surfaces. Now it is important to ensure that the length of the baseboard is pressed evenly over the entire joint for about 20 minutes, which can be done using improvised tools or calling an assistant.
If such a procedure cannot be carried out, you can do it in another way. 10 minutes after applying the glue, the border is periodically pressed to the surface with a little effort. In this case, excess solution will probably come out, which must be removed with white spirit or gasoline 20 minutes after setting the glue. But before you remove the glue, remove the masking tape.
Joint Sealing
To protect the joints from water ingress, they usually use white sealant, although no one forbids choosing the color that is most suitable for the interior of the bathroom. At the same time, pay attention to the plasticity of the silicone sealant, since the appearance of the finish depends on this property. If a new bottle is used or a well-lying old one, usually in the upper part of the container it is slightly dried up. It is better not to use such a sealant, as it will lie poorly at the joints, and will not only look sloppy, but will also not fulfill its sealing function.
The masking tape is again glued along the edges of the curb at a distance of 2 mm so as not to subsequently clean the walls and the bath from the sealant. Squeeze the silicone at the junction, trying to fill the entire gap to the maximum. At the same time, keep in mind that if tile is laid on the wall, then its joints also have their own seams, which also need to be filled with sealant.
After all the voids are filled, with a rubber spatula or in a pinch, use the finger to smooth the sealant along the baseboard. In the same way, the joint is sealed at the lower edge of the border.
Lastly, masking tape and excess sealant are removed.
Final work
After the first PVC bathtub curbs are installed, the baseboard for plastic bathtubs must be mounted around the entire perimeter of the room, observing the above technology. In this case, do not forget to check the coincidence of the trimmed ends of the skirting boards before gluing the skirting board.
After completing all work, carefully inspect the seams for poor-quality sealing and, if necessary, apply sealant again. Now check the surface of the bathtub and the wall for the remaining excess of the applied solutions, if any, remove using white spirit. Leave the bath for the final setting of the glue for a day, then wash all surfaces with a liquid detergent and rinse with clean water.
In general, it’s all about assembling and installing a plastic baseboard. Now you can use the bathroom with a new plastic border.