How To Repair A Hole In Bathtub

Most modern homes take advantage of the benefits of updated manufacturing and materials, containing fiberglass or acrylic bathtubs rather than traditional porcelain-coated bandage iron or stainless steel. Affordable, attractive, and durable, fiberglass is withal prone to slap-up and pitting overtime.

Fortunately, repairing a cracked or damaged tub or shower pan is a straightforward DIY job that most homeowners can exercise to salve themselves money over an expensive replacement. The cost to hire a professional to fix problems may prove worth the minor investment to ensure the cause of the consequence is addressed to foreclose future bug.

This guide covers the basics for fixing all shower floors, including bases and pans, merely it mainly focuses on the most common outcome – fiberglass tub repair.

This project costs an average of $20 to $240, depending on the extent of repairs needed and whether yous hire a professional or handle fixing the damage on your own. Minor damage often but requires an epoxy kit, available at most home improvement stores. More all-encompassing cracks and chips may require drywall mud, special two-component foam, and patches. Even at the high end, repairing is considerably less expensive than installing a new tub, and it usually only takes 4 to six hours including drying time.

On This Page:

1. Repairing a Fiberglass Tub
   1. Tools Needed
   2. Assessing the Extent of the Damage
   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 as if information technology was a little pit. In either instance, it's surprisingly simple. By using a basic epoxy kit with a few essential items, repairing a fiberglass tub takes equally picayune equally 1 day, with virtually of that fourth dimension spent as the compound dries.

Materials and Tools Needed

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

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

What Type of Repair? Fissure, Chip or Hole?

Assessing the damage is the beginning step to determining the type of repair needed. Over time, heavy use can get out fiberglass, acrylic and other tub and shower materials vulnerable to neat and chipping. Additionally, if something heavy drops on the surface, it could exit a large crack or a substantial hole, especially if the base isn't properly supported.

Superficial chips, cracks and scratches may only crave unproblematic filling and refinishing. But for large 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 uncomplicated and stress-gratuitous, look for an all-inclusive kit that has everything you need to fix almost issues. Minimally, kits include:

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

For larger cracks and pits, it may also be necessary to purchase fiberglass mesh to reinforce the putty and make it less likely to dimple. Every bit a rule, employ mesh for any cleft wider than a quarter-inch or an open up hole that is too large to fill in with the resin mixture lonely. More than extensive problems caused past improper installation and support may require drilling shallow holes in the tub, filling those holes with two-component foam, and calculation fiberglass patches before using a refinishing kit.

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Step-by-Stride Guide

Filling a pocket-sized pigsty or crack in fiberglass is a simple process, just you should set aside a whole day to allow time for the mixture to harden between steps. For this reason, this is a adept job to begin in the morning time and consummate throughout the day betwixt other habitation improvement projects. Repairs are similar for acrylic tubs, but we'll cover the differences between the two processes beneath.

1. 1. Set the Surface area – Earlier getting started, clean the expanse with household cleaner and a sponge. Use rubbing alcohol, acetone, or a similar solvent capable of removing oils, lather scum, and glass fibers.

1. 1. Drill every bit Needed – When a lack of back up is the root of the trouble, you lot need to address the issue caput on. Instead of removing the tub and rebuilding the back up organization, drill 6 to eight modest holes in the tub and add foam (see next step). If yous aren't working on the underlying support, but yous're repairing a crack, employ a rotary tool with 80-grit sand paper to grind a bevel that'south about i 1/2 inches broad centered on the crack.

1. 1. Add 2-Component Foam – For extra support, inject two-component foam into the holes that you drilled. Information technology sets in a few minutes and creates a strong foundation.

1. 1. Use a Patch – If using fiberglass mesh, lay it over the crack or hole to measure, and so trim it so that it is slightly larger than the opening it is to cover. More than i layer may be 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 not-white tub. Employ the provided mixing stick and tray and put it atop a piece of flake cardboard to foreclose accidental spills onto porous bathroom surfaces.

1. 1. Repair the Crack, Chip or Pigsty – Immediately spread the mixture into the fissure or pigsty, or on top of the fiberglass mesh. Take intendance to work it in thoroughly to get information technology into all crevices and prevent dimpling. Don't be afraid to pile the mixture atop the hole to fill it in completely; y'all will be sanding it later.

1. 1. Allow the Mixture to Set – Permit the mixture to prepare in the hole for 2-iii hours or longer for larger, deeper holes. In one case set, use the sandpaper to carefully smooth the surface. This might accept some time and elbow grease.

1. Refinish the Surface – Apply the finishing polish to consummate the patch and aid the new expanse blend into the tub.

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Repairing a Fiberglass Shower Pan

If you lot're repairing the floor of a fiberglass stall, the method y'all utilise to complete a patch is no unlike than in a larger tub. However, because well-nigh of the surface of the base of operations is horizontal and flat, it is possible to ready and reinforce larger holes and pits with bit plywood in add-on to epoxy, simply only if you have access to the back or lesser of the pan. Some quick steps are:

1. Spread epoxy on the plywood and press information technology onto the crack, 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 nigh habitation fixtures, when it comes to extending the life of your tub, preventing problems is the all-time solution. Your first line of defense it regular cleaning with the correct type of cleaner and methods. This material responds best to mild soap, like dish soap, or fifty-fifty only a paste of baking soda and water. This is because the coating is thin and subject to wear over time. For this aforementioned reason, it is of import to never utilise abrasive cleaners on these fixtures.

To maintain the luster of a single- or double-piece fiberglass tub, you lot might also consider giving information technology a regular polishing using automotive finishing products designed for fiberglass. Avoid using waxing products on this type of floor as this poses a rubber gamble when the shower is in utilize.

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Acrylic Tub & Shower Repair

Acrylic is another usually used textile that tin can oftentimes exist repaired instead of replaced. The steps are similar, but slightly different.

1. 1. Drill ane/iv-inch holes in a i-human foot foursquare around the harm, existence conscientious to avert drilling all the way through.

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

1. 1. Drill holes at either end of the scissure, fugitive drilling through the acrylic.

1. 1. Use a ii-part polyester filler to repair the damage, spreading information technology evenly over the drill holes and the crack with a prophylactic spreader.

1. 1. Once the filler is dry, sand it smooth and level with the residue of the tub's surface.

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

1. Apply bathtub repair paint to create a polish, well-matched surface. Once the paint dries, add a concluding layer of urethane compound, and buff the area to create a polish, difficult finish.

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How to Repair a Tile Shower Floor

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

Tools & Materials Needed

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

Step-past-Step Guide

When removing the tile,

1. 1. Apply 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. Pause the tile into modest pieces using the chisel, and use the scraper to remove them along with the thinset or tile adhesive behind the damaged tile.

1. 1. Employ a fresh coat of thinset or tile agglutinative with a notched trowel or a putty pocketknife if you're working in a pocket-sized surface area.

1. 1. Press the new tile in place and permit the adhesive dry before grouting over the repair.

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

When repairing the tile for a small chip or fissure,

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

1. 1. Employ epoxy glue over the expanse to level it with the rest of the tile.

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

1. 1. Permit the paint dry and add a glaze of articulate urethane.

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

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DIY Considerations

Depending on the extent of the damage, this is a unproblematic DIY project. If you decide to DIY this fix, brand sure you allow yourself plenty of fourth dimension to let the epoxy and other materials used in the repair dry betwixt steps. Additionally, consider covering the area beyond the surface y'all're working on with cellophane tape to prevent the refinishing materials from running over the intact office of the tub or shower pan.

If you doubtable that the fissure or hole has created water harm in the subfloor, or if the projection feels like information technology's more than you lot want to take on, hire a pro to exercise the work for you.

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

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