Can You Repair A Cracked Bathtub

Hairline, spider, and stress cracks develop on fiberglass tubs due to frequent use, bereft support, use of harsh cleaners, dropping the tub, and hitting it with heavy objects. If not fixed on fourth dimension, these small-scale cracks develop into larger cracks which lead to leaks and somewhen the bathtub breaks apart. Luckily, you can fix hairline cracks on fiberglass tubs quite easily.

Clean and dry the cracked area and then sand it with fine-dust sandpaper. Apply an adhesive on the crack followed by a fiberglass filler. Sand the expanse again then utilise an epoxy mixture followed past a piece of fiberglass clothing. Apply more epoxy mixture and so a sealer to fix a hairline scissure in a fiberglass tub.

Both acrylic and fiberglass bathtubs are based on fiberglass and thus the procedure for fixing cracks on each is well-nigh the same. You tin can thus use the steps below to ready acrylic or fiberglass tubs or even shower pans made of fiberglass.

How to ready a crack in a fiberglass tub

To set up a crack in the bathtub, yous need a household cleaner, fine-dust sandpaper or emery textile, scissors, a cleaning sponge or rag, a dry lint-complimentary piece of cloth, a small paintbrush, and a fiberglass tub cleft repair kit. Make sure there is enough ventilation and you have rubber gloves on for this procedure.

Repair a crack in a fiberglass tub is every bit follows:

1. Make clean and dry effectually the crack

Use your household cleaner to make clean the area around the crack. Remove any clay, mold, or other debris in and effectually the crack equally much as possible. Apply a sponge to scrub the expanse and so rinse it with clean h2o.

After that, dry it up with a lint-free rag or piece of cloth.

2. Sand the area around the fissure

Apply the sandpaper or emery material to sand the area effectually the crack to requite it a slightly rough texture. This makes it like shooting fish in a barrel to add adhesives and other parts of the fiberglass tub repair kit.

Once you've sanded the area to your satisfaction, brush away the dirt either with a brush or piece of vesture.

iii. Prepare and apply the adhesive

The fiberglass tub repair kit will have an agglutinative or bonding amanuensis with grooming instructions on it. Prepare it as instructed so apply it to the crevice and the sanded area effectually it using the included castor or a paintbrush of your own.

Make sure the agglutinative covers at least an inch away from the crack for the best results. Too, the agglutinative should become deep inside the cleft to saturate it as much as possible.

Expect for the agglutinative to dry out earlier the next step.

4. Fill up the cleft with fiberglass filler

Subsequently the adhesive has stale upwards, take the fiberglass filler from the fiberglass tub repair kit so use a putty knife to apply it and make full the hairline cleft on the tub with it. Remove any backlog filler around the crack.

Await for the filler to dry up.

5. Sand the area around the crack over again

Use the sandpaper or emery cloth to sand the area around the fissure until it's level with the surrounding area so off the clay when done. Don't overdo it equally you will only be undoing the fiberglass tub crack repair results.

six. Coat the crack with epoxy

Read the instructions on the epoxy or polyester resin included in the fiberglass repair kit to create the required epoxy mixture.

Utilise the epoxy mixture to the crevice and the surrounding expanse using a brush. The epoxy mixture should cover at to the lowest degree two inches abroad from the crack every bit well for the best results.

7. Add fiberglass wear

Cutting a piece of fiberglass clothing (found in the fiberglass repair kit) that fits the area covered past the epoxy mixture. Put the cloth over the scissure earlier the epoxy mixture dries up. Press it firmly into the epoxy mixture so run a putty pocketknife over information technology to remove any air bubbles under the material.

8. Employ more epoxy mixture

Apply more of the epoxy mixture over and around the fiberglass clothing using the paintbrush. Utilize a generous but reasonable coat of the epoxy mixture in this stage.

9. Apply a sealer or finishing coat

The last procedure is to utilise a sealer (also found in the fiberglass repair kit) on the croaky area. The sealer protects the layers of materials used to seal the crack from impairment by h2o and other substances.

Once the sealer is dry, yous're gratuitous to use your bathtub once again. You can add a buffing compound to restore the sleeky finish of your fiberglass bathtub earlier using it again. This procedure on how to patch a crack in fiberglass tubs applies to all cracks in the bathtub including how to fix cracks in the bottom of the fiberglass bathtub and how to prepare a cracked tub environment.

The video below gives a summary of this process:

Shower pans made of fiberglass can besides exist stock-still with this procedure when they develop cracks. If the cracks in the shower pan are likewise deep, learn how to replace the shower pan without removing tiles.

Fiberglass tub repair kit

A fiberglass tub repair kit has the tools and chemicals you demand to ready a croaky or damaged fiberglass surface. You tin can apply information technology on bathtubs and other fiberglass surfaces to fix the damaged areas.

A fiberglass tub repair kit has a fiberglass cloth, resin, brush, hardener, mixing tray, mixing stick, and a spreader.

At that place are two types of fiberglass tub repairs kits as follows:

1. Surface repair kit

The surface repair kit has a polymer-based pigment or tape for sealing the outer surfaces of cracks on fiberglass bathtubs.

2. Internal repair kit

The internal repair kit has a paste or glue used to fill cracks from the inside.

Your pick depends on the depth of the crack on your bathtub.

What causes a fiberglass tub to scissure?

If you're wondering why your bathtub is swell, some of the causes of cracks in fiberglass tubs include the following:

ane. Normal aging

Normal usage of the bathtub volition atomic number 82 to wear and tear. The surface of the tub will slowly wear out and make the tub thin enough for cracks to develop.

ii. Insufficient support

Fiberglass bathtubs tin develop cracks when placed on uneven basis since the weight of the user won't be distributed evenly.

3. Utilise of harsh cleaners

Some harsh cleaners such equally bleach and acidic ones can slowly erode the surface of the fiberglass bathtub making information technology thinner and thus more than vulnerable to cracking under pressure.

4. Dropping and hit it with heavy objects

Bathtubs crack due to beingness impacted. In both cases, the bear on of the hits volition impairment the surface of the bathtub and crave proper fixing. With fiberglass existence among the lightest types of bathtubs, it's easy to carry information technology around hence a higher risk of dropping it.

The depth of the crack determines whether you should fix it by yourself or not. If it'south only on the surface, you can practise it by yourself. If the crack goes all the way to the other side of the bathtub, yous need a plumber for that.

Plumbers ofttimes accuse from $80 to repair bathtub cracks which is costlier than the cost of fiberglass repair kits (well-nigh $50). However, plumbers know how to patch a fiberglass tub ameliorate given their skills and feel.

Will Flex Seal fix a cracked bathtub?

Flex Seal does not fix a cracked bathtub since information technology has no structural value. While Flex Seal tin can terminate a leak, it cannot fix a fissure as the crevice continues growing underneath the layer of Flex Seal.

How to prevent cracks in fiberglass tub

You can preclude cracks in tubs past doing the following:

• Ensure the bathtub is properly supported and placed on even ground.
• Avoid cleaning the tub with harsh cleaners. Instead, utilise the recommended cleaners or even mild household cleaners.
• Avoid dropping the bathtub on the floor or hitting it with heavy objects.
• Rinse it after every use to forestall harsh chemicals from edifice upward on the surface of the tub.
• If the bathtub already has a crack, drill pocket-size terminate-drill holes ¼ inches deep at the ends of the cracks to stop the cracks from extending further then set it as shown above.

More often than not, protect the bathtub from whatsoever form of abuse and you'll rarely come across cracks on it. If it has developed too many cracks, accept it refinished to restore its looks and integrity.

Source: https://highshower.com/crack-in-fiberglass-tub/

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