Renovation is always a big expense. If there is an opportunity to save money, everyone tries to use it. For example, when renovating a bathroom, you can take care of enamel restoration instead of buying new plumbing fixtures.
Recovery methods
There are several ways to apply a new layer of coating to the bathtub, using:
- enamel produced in cans,
- enamels in the form of an aerosol,
- acrylic liner.
Each method has its own pros and cons. Choosing enamel in cans, you can get a durable new coating, however, much more effort will have to be made than when applying an aerosol coating. Installation of an acrylic liner is technologically difficult, but the result will exceed all expectations.
Preparatory stage
Before you restore the enamel, you need to carry out preliminary measures to clean the bath from the old coating. This requires:
- Liberally sprinkle the entire surface with any abrasive scouring powder.
- Using emery paper, thoroughly clean the surface of the old coating directly on the powder.
- Check the work done and the places where the old coating is still left, clean again with powder and sandpaper.
- As soon as the old layer is removed, the bath should be filled with the hottest water possible for 15-20 minutes.
- After the specified time has elapsed, the water must be drained and the entire surface of the plumbing equipment must be thoroughly dried.
The preparatory stage, and most importantly, the quality of all its operations, significantly affects how the new enamel will lay on the surface. The worse the cleaning is done, the less the new coating will last.
There are times when rust eats into the bathtub so much that it is impossible to wash it with ordinary cleaning agents and sandpaper. Oxalic acid will help eliminate the problem. The drug must be mixed with water to a liquid slurry. Using a cloth pad, apply the resulting mixture to the most contaminated areas. The action time of oxalic acid should not exceed 25-30 minutes. It must be washed off with hot water.
Bath priming
Restoration of enamel is required to begin with degreasing the surface. For this, you can use regular acetone or gasoline. The product is applied using an ordinary cotton swab. The degreasing procedure can be considered complete when the fully treated bath is filled with hot water for 10 minutes.
After processing the surface of the plumbing equipment, you need to let it dry, after which you can proceed directly to the primer.
The primer is applied with a brush or a small roller in a thin layer.
After priming, the bath should dry well. Then it should be sanded again, cleaned of dust and dried.
Use one manufacturer and one series primer and coat for the best result.
Restoration of enamel
After priming, the coating can be renewed. If you plan to use paint in cans, you will need a medium-sized mohair roller. Enamel in a spray can aerosols can be applied without special tools.
The new coating must be applied in two coats. If the enamel was purchased in a jar, it is important to pay attention to the presence of streaks and carefully smooth the applied layer. When using an aerosol, these problems do not arise.
However, the composition of spray paint contains a fairly large amount of solvent, which adversely affects the life of the new coating. If can enamel can last 5 years, and with careful attitude and more, then the service life of aerosol paint is no longer than 3-4 years.
Before you start restoring a bath, you need to remember the restrictions that appear when using updated plumbing equipment:
- firstly, you cannot use abrasive powders for cleaning;
- secondly, it is absolutely impossible to soak the laundry - this significantly increases the risk of damage to the coating;
- thirdly, when starting a hand wash in various containers - for example, in a basin - you need to make sure that the detergent or bleach does not get on the restored surface.
Video
See how to properly restore a bath with liquid acrylic: