How to restore fiberglass tub. A cup of vinegar and baking soda is enough to renew your fiberglass tub. Other methods will restore the tub for you.
I moved to another house and was out of budget. I saw that there was an old fiberglass tub there. But it was in poor condition.
Being out of budget, I thought of a way to restore it. I have knowledge because I used to help my plumber friend. I googled for more and found several ways and steps.
Now the old tub looks new, and I don’t need a new one. To know. Keep reading!.
How to restore fiberglass tub
The surface needs to be stored. Here we clean the tub with cleaners. The cracks can be fixed with other chemicals.
The inlay is then taken into consideration. We apply acrylic polymer. This is for refinishing. Surface primer is applied as well.
Then the bathtub is refitted, and all the components are attached. The piping is checked and cleaned.
The rewashing is done, and then hard water stains are removed. Then the drying is done with a damped cloth or a towel. Check the cracks by turning on the water. You will see it.
Cleaning the surface
Start by cleaning the whole fiberglass tub. It needs cleaning to get a better look at cracks. This is just basic cleaning. So, we will only use soap and damped cloth. We need to get the dirt aside for now.
We only need a sponge and a mixture of water and dishwashing soap. Then we need to dip the sponge in the mixture. Then put the sponge in the tub and start scrubbing.
Keep scrubbing until all the dirt and debris are cleaned, and the cracks and scratches become visible. Use the soft side, so you do not further scratch the glass.
Vinegar and baking soda
If the soap is not cleaning the debris and the dirt, then you need to face it at the upper level. You can use a mixture created from baking soda and vinegar.
Mix them in half of each quantity. Then apply them to the surface of the glass. Let it be. Wait for 30min.
After 30min, clean it with water. This will clean the dirt, and the rust present on the surface will also be removed.
This will bring the shine of the tub completely back. You can apply them as well. But this will save more time.
Repairing the glass
After cleaning, dry the surface. Now we have come to repair the small cracks that are present in it. For this, a specific repair kit is needed. To refine the edges and sanding. Dremel tool is present that adheres there.
You can use the support in the kit to provide better pressure for the Dremel tool.
If you are done with smoothening the edges and providing the support, you need to sand the surface now. After sanding, apply the replacement fiberglass.
You can apply sand to all surfaces and add new fiberglass. You will need to coat the entire surface and then apply the glass.
After that, use refinishing spray. This spray will hide all the cracks. It has lots of colors, so you can stylize with color.
Primer and paint
This is not a step but rather a substitute for the above step. This method doesn’t have a pleasant aroma, and it also requires more time. But this method is quite effective.
This method has at least 2 years of warranty. This method also required sanding. After sanding, the surface primer is applied in two coats.
Let it dry for about 15 minutes. You can now apply the acrylic polymer of the matching color. If distinct color, you can paint it with that color.
Use three coats to get better results. Let it dry for a half-hour for each coating. The tub will be usable after 2 whole days.
Conclusion
Restoring the tub is much more money-saving than purchasing a new one. However, it might take a little effort. It will be worth the work. The cost of a new tub might even be four times than you used in preparing an old tub.
You can then attach the pipes if they aren’t attached. Even getting a professional will be cheaper.
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