The installed acrylic liner in the bathroom is an easy way to update an old cast-iron bathtub that is comfortable and solid, but has lost its original appearance due to enamel defects, yellowness and rust. Let's look at the intricacies of choosing and installing this product, which will help you repair an old bathtub with minimal cost.
What is an acrylic liner
An acrylic liner is a kind of insert, like a bathtub into a bathtub, the main function of which is to renew the outdated coating and cover all damage to the enamel of the old bathtub. Using such a device, you can turn the “ancient” plumbing into a new and modern bath without much effort with your own hands.
The material from which the insert is made has a snow-white surface, smooth to the touch, easy to clean and resistant to mechanical damage.
Acrylic liners are divided into 2 types depending on the manufacturing technology:
- Cast liners. Made from sheets of sanitary acrylic, heated in a special form. The cost of such a product is 30% of the price of a full bath.
- Composite products. These liners have an ABS plastic backing covered with a thin layer of acrylic. They differ from cast ones in a lower price and a short service life - 5-6 years.
Note! If a cast acrylic liner is offered at a low price, then it is either made from a thin sheet, which can soon lead to rubbing or even breaking, or it is made from low-quality acrylic, which has large pores and is therefore difficult to wash off. Such a product will not have a white, but a grayish or pinkish color.
Pros and cons of acrylic liner
When choosing between technologies for the restoration of an old bath - enameling, liner or poured enamel, coating with liquid acrylic (glass) - and installing an acrylic liner, you need to weigh all the pros and cons of the latter.
Acrylic liner in a cast iron bath has undeniable advantages:
- installation of an acrylic liner in the bath can be done by hand and will take a minimum of time;
- high level of strength, resistance to scratches and impacts;
- customer reviews are only positive if they did not save on the choice of components;
- long service life. A quality product will last up to 20 years;
- additional heat and sound insulation.
Acrylic liner is well suited for bathtubs made of cast iron. For steel products, its use is justified only if their walls do not bend, otherwise the liner may soon crack.
It is worth considering the disadvantages of this method of restoration. Repairing old bathtubs is fraught with the following difficulties:
- reduction of the internal space of the bath;
- if installed incorrectly, the service life of the acrylic insert can be significantly reduced;
- we met negative reviews about breaks and cracks, but only in cases where cheap composite products were installed;
- the risk of water getting under the insert, and the appearance of an unpleasant odor, the source of which will be the resulting fungus.
We have listed the pros and cons of this method, and you have to make a choice: a bulk bath or an acrylic liner. Choose the most suitable method for the bathroom and the already installed font.
Insert selection
Before purchasing an insert, it is important to make sure that its dimensions are as close as possible to the dimensions of the bath itself. To do this, you need to measure:
- the width of the old bathing container along the upper inner edge;
- length along the outer edges and inner along the bottom;
- depth.
To buy a really high-quality product in a cast-iron bath, in the store, when choosing an insert, you need to pay attention to several important points:
- The color of the product should be pure white, without any shades.
- The surface is smooth, even, without sags and any other defects.
- The wall thickness should be as large as possible - 4-6 mm. The walls can flex when pressed, but not much. In the case of a metal bath - thin
- We also recommend that you carefully study the reviews of the selected product. Surely you are not the first person who is eyeing this particular manufacturer.
Bath preparation
Before installing the acrylic liner with your own hands, you need to do the preparatory work, which plays a significant role in the whole process:
- If tiles made of tiles or plastic panels fit tightly to the bathroom, it is necessary to dismantle them, because there must be free access to the sides of the sanitary ware.
- The product is cleaned from the enamel coating. To do this, use a grinder with a special nozzle or sandpaper with a large grain. For convenience and ease of the process, you can fix the sandpaper on a special holder. This step is very important because getting rid of smooth enamel will greatly improve adhesion to the bathroom surface.
- Wet cleaning of the inner surface is done. The bathtub must be washed very thoroughly so that no particles of enamel and other debris remain.
- The siphon is dismantled.
If you really don’t want to bother with removing the enamel, you can simply wash the bath thoroughly with detergent, degrease with soda, rubbing the surface with it, rinse and dry again.
Do-it-yourself insert installation
Installing an acrylic liner in a bathtub will require the following steps:
- The very first step in the whole process should be fitting the liner insert into the cast iron bath, followed by fitting. To do this, you need to place the acrylic liner in the bath and mark with a marker the excess part that protrudes beyond the old container. Remove the insert and, using an electric jigsaw or hacksaw, cut off the excess part of the material, trying to prevent the appearance of burrs.
- It is also required to make holes for draining water. To do this, you can use an electric drill with a nozzle-crown.
To accurately mark the drain and overflow holes, you can use the following trick: rub the edges of the holes in the old bathtub with a construction pencil and press the acrylic insert very tightly against it. The marks should be imprinted on the surface of the insert.
- For a tight installation of the prepared acrylic sheet in the bath, you will need silicone sealant and two-component mounting foam. First of all, you need to apply a layer of sealant to the perimeter of the drain holes. This is very important as it will reduce the possibility of liquid getting under the acrylic liner. Now you need to apply sealant around the edge of the entire tub.
- The entire bathtub must be covered with two-component foam from the inside. It is important to monitor the thickness of the applied layer. This parameter must correspond to the size discrepancy between the size of the liner and the parameters of the bath.
It is desirable that the foam covers the entire internal area, since the formation of gaps in the acrylic sheet will not fully adhere and sag. It is also possible to apply foam in strips with an interval of 4–5 cm.
- the acrylic liner in the bath must be installed as tightly as possible, pressing against the surface of the bath. Especially well it is necessary to compress the bottom, areas around the drain and overflow, sides;
- siphon is installed. It also needs to be secured with a sealant.
Note! An old siphon may not be suitable for a bathtub thickened by an insert. Check it out beforehand.
The installed acrylic liner in the bath can be seen in the photo:
- The drain is closed and a full bath of water is drawn up to a level 2-3 cm below the overflow hole. In this case, water will play the role of the main cargo. This will allow you to securely fix the insert.
- In this state, the bath is left for a day. After that, you can use it again for normal purposes.
Conclusion
Do-it-yourself installation of an acrylic liner is very simple. Even a person without experience and qualifications can cope with such work. During the installation process, it is important to follow all the rules and instructions. It is also worth paying attention to the quality of the materials that are used for fastening, since the quality service life of the device depends on them.
Video instruction
Detailed instructions for installing an acrylic liner in a cast iron bath are provided below. If you have any questions about this topic, ask in the comments - we will definitely answer everyone.
