Several Ways To Repair A Cast-iron Bath With Your Own Hands, With Photos And Videos

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• Ways to repair a cast-iron bathroom
• Enameling
• The choice of enamel for the bath
• Foundation preparation
• Enamel application
• Liquid acrylic
• Acrylic liner
• Conclusion

Over time, during operation, the bathtub fails. This is especially true for Soviet-made cast iron baths. But what to do? Buy a new one or repair a cast-iron bath yourself? Of course, it's up to you to decide, but it is worth noting that buying a new bathtub is quite an expensive pleasure, therefore we recommend doing the repairs. But before that you need to study all its features.

Ways to repair a cast-iron bathroom

Considering the options for fixing the bath, there are only two:

1. Enamel application. Which in turn can be divided into enamel device and liquid acrylic application.
2. Acrylic liner device.

Each of these options has features that must be taken into account when carrying out work. Let's look at each repair method in more detail.

Enameling

The first method is to apply new enamel. Note that it is available for use only when the bath itself is intact, and you are confused only by its appearance (which has deteriorated considerably over many years of use).

Restoration work of this type is divided into several stages:

1. Enamel selection.
2. Bath surface preparation.
3. Coating.

In order to perform all the work qualitatively, it is necessary to study the features of each of the stages.

The choice of enamel for the bath

The first, and very important, becomes the choice of the enamel, which will be further applied to the surface. Accordingly, for the choice, you need to know several features:

1. The coating can be applied in several ways: using a brush or roller, or as an aerosol. Note that aerosol application is not suitable for a full-fledged restoration.
2. Also, the enamel for the bath should be supplied with all the components necessary for the work.
3. For two-component formulations, a hardener is required, which is selected according to the shade.

And let's look at the most suitable formulations for such a job:

1. Enamels of the domestic manufacturer "Random House" - "Svetlana" and "Fantasy". Enamels are presented in sets that are intended for the restoration of bathtubs. Contains two-component enamel and surface preparation products.

   

2. Epoxin-51. It is a two-component mixture that is applied with a brush. Due to its properties, the composition allows you to obtain a perfectly smooth surface and eliminates the occurrence of streaks. The service life of such a composition reaches 9 years.

   

3. Enamel Stacril. Such a composition is presented in the form of liquid acrylic, intended for application by pouring. It is important to note that it is used only on flat surfaces without cracks, chips, bumps and pits, since it does not hide such defects.

   

Any of the presented types, which are most popular today, are suitable for work.

Now that the material is selected, you can go directly to the work.

Foundation preparation

Before you start directly applying the composition to the surface of the bath, you must carefully prepare it. The preparation itself is carried out as follows:

1. Thoroughly clean the inner surface of the bathroom from the old coating. Remove roughness and rust using a drill with special attachments (metal brush). It is very important to perfectly clean the surface so that no traces of old coating or rust remain on it.

   

2. After cleaning, rinse the tub thoroughly with water.
3. You also need to worry about disinfestation, for which you etch the water stone with oxalic acid.

4. The next step is to degrease the surface of the cast iron bath, this is a very important point in the repair. Special formulations are used for this.

   

5. After degreasing, pour hot water into it for 5-10 minutes, then rinse and drain the water.
6. Then wipe the entire surface dry, after which it is advisable to allow a little time to stand to be sure that the coating is dry.

Upon completion of the preparation, you can go directly to the application of the enamel, and it will differ depending on the choice made. Namely, ordinary enamel and liquid acrylic are applied in different ways. We will analyze each of them in more detail.

Enamel application

Upon completion of the preparation, we proceed to repair the bath using enameling, which is done as follows:

1. Mix hardener and enamel. This composition will be applied to the bath.

2. Apply the first coat of enamel to the surface of the cast iron bath with a brush and let it dry for 10–20 minutes.

   

3. Please note that the drying time may be slightly longer, depending on which composition is selected.
4. Then, at the same interval, apply the second and then the third layer of enamel.

When finished, let the bathroom dry completely. It is recommended to use it no earlier than 2-3 days after applying the composition

Further, after several days, it is necessary to strengthen the enamel. The process is carried out as follows:

1. The process of restoration or repair of a cast-iron bath using this method takes about 4 hours. It begins after the enamel has been replaced.
2. The method is the application of an additional (fourth) layer of enamel on the surface of the bathroom.
3. If a new coating has been applied before, then it must dry completely, after which an additional layer is applied.

When strengthening, it is worth considering some features:

1. After applying the last layer, the enamel should dry well.
2. The bathroom cannot be used for three days.
3. Such a repair of a cast-iron bath can be carried out independently, taking into account the detailed instructions for the jar with enamel.
4. You can also use the services of a restoration company. However, there are some nuances here.
5. You should take into account that such enamel has a service life of one and a half years.
6. Such a bathroom should be used with care. Since the enamel is scratched, you only need to wash it with a soft cloth and gels.
7. After a year and a half, new repairs will be required.

But nevertheless, although the method is short-term, it is not expensive. Thus, you can maintain an attractive appearance of the bathroom for many years, and not let it rust and completely deteriorate.

Liquid acrylic

And the second way to restore cast iron plumbing is to apply liquid acrylic. The whole process is carried out in accordance with the technology:

1. Initially, clean its surface with a drill with a nozzle or by hand. Work must be done carefully. Then rinse and clean the surface from debris and dust.
2. Degrease the base with a sleeping compound.
3. Pour acrylic over the entire surface of the bath.

4. Start the process itself from the upper sides and further down the walls, this is done so that in the future there are no drips along the walls.

   

5. Place a container under the drain to drain excess material.
6. With this method, the layer thickness will be almost 6 mm.
7. The actual process of work lasts 4 hours. It is necessary to carry out the application carefully so that there are no streaks that can spoil the appearance.
8. The bathroom can only be used after 3-4 days. Since acrylic itself takes a long time to gain strength and becomes fully moisture resistant.
9. After the acrylic has hardened, the coating will be resistant to abrasives, detergents and scratches. Therefore, it can be safely washed even with a metal brush.

You can more clearly familiarize yourself with the technology for painting a cast-iron bath.

Video:

Acrylic liner

Another way to repair a cast-iron bath is to use an acrylic liner.

1. When the base of the bathtub is in poor condition and it is impossible to do with simply replacing the enamel.
2. In cases where there is a desire to give a new look to the old plumbing.
3. In addition, it is actively used for the "reconstruction" of the bath. As you know, the metal transmits and takes heat very well. And usually in any metal and cast-iron products, the water cools very quickly, preventing enjoyment. That's when the acrylic liner device comes to the rescue.

In addition, it is worth noting a number of advantages of this solution:

1. The liner is resistant to wear.
2. Quite durable.
3. During operation, it does not change color and its properties.
4. Possesses sufficient moisture resistance.
5. Easy to care for and use.
6. It also has a smooth finish that repels dirt.
7. Immune to household dyes, as well as household chemicals.
8. Heats up quite quickly and cools slowly at the same time.

But let's look directly at how the repair process itself goes:

1. A sanitary acrylic insert is used for this, which in this case should be inserted into our bath.
2. First of all, prepare the liner, since initially there are no holes for overflow and drain in it.
3. They should be cut in place. This can be done by inserting the liner into the bath and drawing marks on the back of the holes.
4. The area around all openings must be sealed.
5. According to the technology, the cast-iron bath should have a gap around the perimeter of about 5 mm. The edges of the liner will be marked along this gap, while the excess areas must be cut off.
6. Directly the surface itself must be cleaned of enamel and debris, and then degreased, as in previous cases.
7. Using two-component foam or special mastic, carefully glue the acrylic liner into the bath.

8. The first one should be applied over the entire surface. Otherwise, voids will form under the acrylic liner and it will bend. Due to this, pits and cracks can appear.

   

9. Tightness becomes the main condition. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully apply the adhesive composition over the entire surface, then insert the insert and take a full bath of water, leaving it for several hours.

   

10. Thus, under the weight of water, the liner will firmly press against the base, and will distribute the adhesive, which will help completely avoid the possibility of voids formation.

Learn more about acrylic liners.

Important! When buying an acrylic liner, be sure to ask for a quality certificate for it. Also, check its integrity at the point of purchase.

Conclusion

As you may have noticed, there are not so many ways to restore and repair a cast-iron bathtub, and at the same time they are as simple as possible, therefore it is possible to independently perform all the work (even without someone's help). We also recommend that you watch several videos that will clearly show all the repair methods, and you will once again see how simple it is to do everything yourself.

Video:

Video: