View Single Post
  #6   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
Chris Lewis Chris Lewis is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 856
Default Repairing a crack in plastic bathtub

According to Jim Yanik :
"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in
news:TqDAi.4376$Ay3.264@trndny02:


"Brian O" wrote in message
...
I have a plastic bathtub with a small crack in the bottom of the tub.
Short
of tearing it out and shoring it up, is there a way to at least
temporarily
repair the tub that will last a year or so? Thanks in advance.


If it is truly plastic, I don't have any idea, nor do I have much
hope of a long lasting repair. We'd need to know what type of
material it is.


If it is fiberglass, it is possible to lay-up some cloth, same as
you'd do with a boat. In any case, done from the tub side it will
look like crap, but if it buys you time and works, you can put up with
it for a time.


I suppose he could glass the entire tub bottom and blend/fill in the edges
with the curve up the sides.It would take several layers of glass cloth,and
need at least two weeks to cure before putting weight on it. And rough up
the tub surface for adhesion before beginning the fiberglassing.
He would also have to use a tub epoxy paint for the top coat;add another
week for that to cure.


I don't think you need to go that far - if you can't get at the bottom of the tub:

- Scuff sand the affected area, swab with alcohol.
- Lay down 2-3 layers of fiberglass (top layer 2oz if available)
with an inch or two overlap on the crack.
- Liberally brush on good epoxy (eg: West Systems)
- Lay over top some heat shrink window film, avoid bubbles, solidly
tape the perimeter, and gently heat gun it slightly to take out any wrinkles..
Make sure the epoxy covers the scuffed areas.
- put a small sand bag on top. Or, if you sealed the window film really well,
put in a couple inches of water.
- let sit for 24-48 hours, then, strip the window film and gently soap
wash the epoxy.

Epoxy doesn't stick to heat shrink window film, it's easy to get, and
makes the epoxy almost glass smooth. No sanding required.

Tub should be useable in 3-4 days. If it's takes longer, you can
coax it a little faster with a hair dryer (keep the epoxy _under_
150F).

If you can find a dye match (additive to the epoxy) for the tub, and
work the film/edges properly, you can make it practically invisible.
But I wouldn't trust it for that long. Putting a big sloppy epoxy
patch on the underside would be a better/easier, and you
could just run a small bead of epoxy on the inside of the tub
crack to avoid grud buildup.
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.