Pros and cons
Among the main advantages that influence the choice between buying a new bathtub and restoring an old one, there are several.
- Low level of financial costs. Cheap acrylic liners are more profitable.
- Short installation times. The time for installation by a professional is from 2 to 3 hours. In the case of do-it-yourself installation, it can increase to 5.
- Bathroom renovation without major repairs. During the installation of the liner, the dismantling of the old bathtub is not required.
- Good sound insulation, which is especially important when installed in a steel bath.
- Excellent thermal insulation allows you to keep hot water in the bowl for a long time.
- Self-installation is possible.
- High impact resistance, scratch resistance.
- Plasticity allows deformations to be tolerated, especially in a bathtub made of thin material, such as steel.
- Long service life. Proven manufacturers guarantee up to 20 years of operation. In fact, with proper use, an acrylic insert can last a dozen years longer.
- Hygiene. Since the medical polymer has no pores, it is easy to care for and bacteria and fungi do not start on it. It is also called ecoacryl. He is not afraid of household chemicals without abrasives, he is able to clean himself even with soap. Also, due to the non-porous structure, acrylic does not turn yellow, dirt and rust do not eat into it.
- A choice of colors that expands the boundaries of the usual bathroom design. Shades do not fade and are not erased throughout the entire service life.
- Acrylic is a non-allergenic material, therefore it is safe for health.
There are also disadvantages that should be considered before proceeding with its installation.
- Acrylic liner reduces the internal volume of the tub. However, experts claim that in fact acrylic has a small thickness, so the reduction is difficult to notice visually. Rather, it is a psychological sensation.
- If there is a finish in the form of tiles that goes directly to the sides of the bathroom, then they will need to be dismantled.
- Illiterate installation significantly reduces the life of the product.
- Poorly fastening the liner inside the old bowl can cause fungus and mold if water gets between the two surfaces.
- If you do not follow the rules of operation, then the restoration coating will quickly become unusable.
- It is not recommended to bathe animals in a bath with an insert, as they can damage the coating with their claws.
- An acrylic liner should not be installed if the wearer weighs more than 100 kg, as the product will crack under this weight.
Helpful Tips
Experts assure that a lot depends on a competent and correct choice. The durability of an acrylic liner is 70 percent dependent on its quality and only 30 percent on installation and maintenance. However, an illiterate installation can lead to additional costs for repairing the coating. If a crack forms somewhere during installation, water will accumulate under the liner. This will lead to mold growth and a foul odor. In this case, the restoration of acrylic is necessary. If everything is done on time, then its service life can be extended.
Acrylic material is afraid of fire, it melts. If you put candles on the sides, then hot wax can burn a hole, so it's better not to experiment. For the same reason, in no case should you pour boiling water into an acrylic bath. If the bathroom is to be renovated, it is better to cover the surface with a soft cloth first so that the tile fragments do not damage the coating. To restore the original shine of the acrylic surface, it should be rubbed with toothpaste.
If the acrylic insert is completely damaged or needs repair, then you can remove it, but this will require some effort.
It is done like this:
- First, remove the siphon.
- Then cut the insert with a grinder will and across very carefully. Making an incision, gradually drain the water if it has accumulated between the surfaces.
- Next, remove the cut pieces of the acrylic layer.
- If there was water between the tub and the tab, then the mounting foam was saturated with rotten liquid. It needs to be cleaned up. In order to remove it from the surface of the bath, use a spatula. After cleaning with sandpaper.
- This is followed by garbage collection, wet cleaning and drying.
- Before the next stage of restoration, the surface is degreased.
- Next, you can insert a new tab or apply liquid acrylic in an even layer.
If there are doubts about the choice, experts advise paying attention to the following arguments before choosing between buying a new bathtub and an insert. Modern cast-iron bathtubs differ from products of the Soviet period in lower enamel quality.
In order for the coating to be durable, it is necessary to choose expensive models, the price of which starts from 15 thousand rubles.
Modern cast-iron bathtubs differ from products of the Soviet period in lower enamel quality. In order for the coating to be durable, it is necessary to choose expensive models, the price of which starts from 15 thousand rubles.
- Even expensive models with an enamel coating are difficult to wash off yellowness and rust.
- An acrylic insert is on average three times cheaper than a bathtub.
- Even if after a certain time something happened and the liner was damaged, it is easy to dismantle it and install a new one or restore it using liquid acrylic.
How to install acrylic liners in the bath, see the following video.
Varieties
Acrylic liners are of two types:
Cast. Such products are made from sheet sanitary acrylic by pressing. In the production process, the sheet is placed on an aluminum or synthetic matrix, heated to the desired temperature and pressed under vacuum. At the stage of heating and molding, the acrylic is stretched, which leads to a decrease in the thickness of the original workpiece. If the manufacturer uses thinner sheets to save money, then the walls of the resulting liner may turn out to be so thin that they cannot guarantee the integrity of the product.
Sometimes buyers are interested in the availability of restoration products made of vinyl. Professionals warn that bathroom vinyl liners don't exist. Since polyvinyl chloride is not a plumbing material, only windows, fabric, building decorations and other things that are not related to plumbing are made from it.
As a rule, the restoration surface is put into an old cast-iron bath. This sanitary ware is a classic that has no analogues, but requires some effort to maintain and install. To date, manufacturers cannot offer liners for any bowl model, only for the most common ones. Standard sizes in centimeters are usually 150X70 and 160X70. However, there are models with a length of 170, 180 and a width of up to 80 cm. The most common acrylic version in a sitting font has dimensions of 120X70.
Acrylic material gives you the opportunity to experiment with the shade of the bowl. The color insert will become a design element of the bathroom, on which you can make the main focus, dream up with lighting and color schemes of the surrounding space. The most common shade according to customer reviews is white and blue, but other tones look no less impressive.
