You decided to make repairs in the bathroom. Bought all the material for him. And what to do with plumbing? If we assume that the toilet and the sink can be changed, but what to do with the bathroom itself? If you have an old, cast-iron one, and it is problematic to change it. Only dismantling is worth doing. Taking it out of its place and taking it outside is far from an easy task, because a cast-iron bathtub is very, very heavy. And here you will need far more than one man’s hands.
What is the cost of buying a new bath?? Valuable new, the bathtub is quite high, and its transportation and installation is what it costs. So if your bath has only superficial damage, that is, only the enamel coating is damaged, it makes sense to simply restore it. You can do this in several ways. Can be restored with enamel, pouring bath and acrylic inlay.
To cover the bathtub with special enamel, it must first be properly prepared. To do this, rinse and degrease the surface of the bath well. Then we clean with a drill or a grinder with special nozzles. After cleaning the bath, it should be thoroughly rinsed with an alkali-containing agent and running water. Warm it up with hot water and let it dry. Then we wipe it with a solvent, warm it up again and dry it by wiping the bath with a lint-free cloth. The bathtub prepared for painting should be dry, matte and smooth. Your bathtub is now ready to be enamelled. We dilute the purchased special enamel with a hardener, mix well and apply with a regular molar brush on the prepared surface of your bath. After applying the first layer, let it dry, then apply the second layer. It is advisable to apply three layers of coating, after which, using a cotton swab dipped in solvent, bring the third layer to a glossy sheen. But the enamel in the cylinders, due to the lack of a hardener in it, leaves smudges during painting.
If the bathtub has deep cracks and chips, then simply coating the bathtub with enamel will not work here. A more effective method is needed — a «filling bath». We use liquid glass, which levels the surface, filling all the voids. After repair, the cast iron bath has a flawless surface and has a longer service life.
And, of course, when restoring an old cast-iron bath, you can use an acrylic liner. But this method is suitable when the renovation in the bathroom is not yet completed, because you have to knock down the tiles around the perimeter of the bath. You will have to invite a specialist who will measure your bathtub and prepare an insert according to your measurements. Then he will come and install the liner in your old bathtub, fix it on the sides. And your bath is ready.
Restoration of an old cast-iron bathtub means saving money and with careful handling, the bathtub will delight you with its impeccable appearance for a long time to come.
