Many owners of an old bath often have a question: replace it with a new bathroom or try to repair it? If you are planning a major overhaul of the bathroom, and you are not afraid of the trouble and costs associated with dismantling, removing the old and installing a new bathtub, replacing the tile, then you can, of course, purchase a new bath. But there are other situations: for example, in a rented apartment you are not satisfied with the condition of the bath, and you are not going to do full-scale repairs here. Or just a home budget does not allow this. In such cases, the acrylic insert in the bath will help to solve the problem.
Advantages of acrylic liners in the bath
Buying an acrylic liner in a bath, you get a practically new bath, which received additional strength from the cast-iron frame, but two to three times cheaper than its store counterparts.
Installing an acrylic insert in a bath, you do not have to destroy communications, spoil doorways and solve many other problems that arise when dismantling an old bath. The only thing that has to be done is to remove a number of tiles adjacent to the bath so that there is an opportunity to put the liner. All works will take 2-3 hours, and in a day you can use the new bathroom.
Disadvantages of acrylic liners in the bath
Have acrylic inserts in the bath and flaws. One of them is a small gap, which remains between the liner and the bathroom, and in which water can get into the poor installation. The need for this clearance is due to several reasons:
- liners are manufactured on special shapes and therefore their sizes are standardized, averaged;
- polymethyl methacrylate( top layer of acrylic liner) and metal have different expansion coefficient;
- for gluing the liner use a special two-component mounting foam that emits carbon dioxide during polymerization, and for its allocation you need space.
Another drawback of acrylic inserts can be called a more thin layer of top coating PMMA compared to full-fledged acrylic bathtubs. And yet, although it can erase faster than usual, underneath it opens a slightly darker plastic, rather than a rusty metal, as is the case with a cast-iron bath.
The technology of installing the acrylic liner in the bath
The acrylic insert must be installed only by a specialist. First you need to measure the size of the bath: its length, internal width and depth at the drain. This will determine the size of your bath and make sure that it has a suitable liner.
If the joint between the bathroom and the wall is sealed, the first thing the master should do is to empty this space so that the liner can be put on the bath without interference. Then he unscrews the plums - both the lower and the upper. If the harness is in poor condition, then it is best to replace it with a new one.
The surface of the bath is peeled, sanded and degreased. In places where water is drained, sealant is applied, and on the bath itself - a special foam with an adhesive effect. After this, the insert is put on, the plums are screwed. The bath is filled with cold water so that under pressure the insert densely settles on the bath and all the installation materials are well hardened. After 8 hours, the water is drained and the next day you can use the new bathroom.
If you wish, you can order additional services, such as sealing the joint between the wall and the bathroom, decorating with a plastic corner, curb or other material that you have, installing a decorative screen, a wall or ceiling dryer, etc.
What you should know,so that the result satisfies you?
In order not to get a questionable insert or poor-quality result of the work of the master, it is worth paying attention to some points:
- contact only well-known companies that have been working for a number of years in this field;
- before making an order, check whether the liners are acrylic, whether they have a sanitary and epidemiological conclusion, whether there is a seal of the organization on the documents;
- carefully read the contract: it must contain the name and requisites of the company, the seal;you must have a completed warranty card;when paying you must issue a receipt or receipt, and after installation - an act of work performed;
- you should be alerted as the initially low price of the loose leaf, and large discounts - most likely, these products are of poor quality or fake;
- installation materials, which the master brings, must be in a closed form, in a factory package, with a label and a marking.
Remember that only high-quality materials and professional installation will allow you to enjoy a new bathroom for a long time on the basis of an acrylic liner.
