How to install a bath on the legs: acrylic, cast iron and steel, installation instructions

Today, there are several options for installing a bathtub. The most popular of these are the supporting legs and the brick base. The first method is chosen by those who strive to maximize their free space even in such a small room as a bathroom.

If the bath rests on the legs, the floor under it remains free. This means that you will have fewer problems with cleaning, and you can always carry out minor repairs to the plumbing under the bathroom without dismantling the support. In addition, open access to the space under the bathroom allows you to keep this area clean, to remove puddles of water, dirt and objects that got there during bathing in time.

About what the rules for installing the legs exist for baths of different types, read in our today's article.

The very first baths, launched in mass production, were made from cast iron. This material is incredibly durable and wear-resistant - a cast-iron bath will serve its owners for more than a decade, without losing its original properties. Plumbing made of cast iron differs strength, good thermal conductivity and unpretentiousness in the care. The disadvantage is that the cast iron is very heavy, which complicates the transportation and installation of plumbing equipment made of this material.

Steel is a material strong enough, but not as heavy as cast iron, so it is more popular among buyers. Another plus in his favor - steel plumbing belongs to the budget class. The bath from the steel was simply installed and it is not difficult to take care of it. Major disadvantages of such a bath will be two: a short service life and a complete absence of noise insulation.

Acrylic is a more modern and expensive material than cast iron and steel. Acrylic today produces not only baths, but also other types of sanitary equipment. Sanitaryware made of acrylic has a beautiful appearance, pleasant to the touch and, most importantly, non-slip surface. The minus of acrylic baths is a fragile structure of the material, which excludes the use of cleaning agents containing aggressive substances in their composition.

In addition to the above three materials, the range of shops selling plumbing equipment, there are bathtubs made of plastic, kvarila, marble and other materials of both artificial and natural origin. We will not dwell on them in detail, since our task is to tell about the most common varieties of baths.

In order to install a bath on the feet, regardless of the material of its manufacture, you will need the following consumables and equipment:

• pencil or washable marker;
• tape measure;
• building level;
• set of adjustable feet;
• support frame for font;
• fastener set;
• sanitary sealant based on silicone;
• drill or perforator with a set of drills.

Before proceeding directly to the installation of sanitary equipment, it is necessary to prepare the workspace. First you need to dismantle the old bath.

If necessary, we clean the floor and walls in the area where the bath will be installed, from the remnants of building materials. We clean all surfaces from dirt and mold. After that it is recommended to carry out treatment with a special antibacterial composition, which prevents the formation of fungus and mold.

We sweep away all the garbage from the floor and cover it with cellophane or old newspapers. The workplace is ready, you can start installing the bath on the legs.

• As the floors in our apartments are often not at all level, it is recommended to install the adjusting screws for each of the supporting legs. With their help, you can later align the bathtub horizontally so that the overflow draining system operates normally.
• Feet to the bath is fixed in pairs - first two front, then two rear ones. There are several options for fastening - "Velcro"( legs on a self-adhesive basis), wedges and coupling bolts. The legs on the glue base should be simply pressed to the bottom of the bath for a few seconds. Wedges are clogged in pre-drilled holes. Tie-down bolts are also inserted into the holes and tightly twisted.
• The second pair of legs is attached to the bottom of the bathtub turned upside down. At the same time, under the side on which there are no legs, a reliable support is installed, capable of withstanding the weight of the cast-iron bath.
• When all four feet are in place, the bath should be leveled in a horizontal plane. Use the building level for this. Pay special attention to the parties that are adjacent to the walls. The gap between the wall and the edge of the font should be as small as possible.

The installation of the legs on the steel bath is much easier, since the plumbing device made of steel weighs several times less than the similar one made of cast iron.

• We turn the bath upside down and try on the support legs to the fasteners. The first pair of legs should be located between the center of the font and the drain hole, about two centimeters from the last. The second pair will need to be installed as close as possible to the opposite edge of the font.
• If necessary, the load-bearing metal profile is carefully straightened, taking care not to damage the bath.
• The support legs to the steel bath are usually attached using glue-on linings. Before removing the protective film from the linings and attaching the legs to the bottom of the bath, the fixing points should be degreased. To do this, any solvent or alcohol solution is suitable. Warm the linings with glue, separate the protective film and tightly press each of the supporting legs to the bottom.
• After the adhesive composition has seized, the adjusting pins must be attached to the legs. They have a thread, so you can just hammer them into the tips of plastic. Then firmly fix the studs on the legs with the help of nuts.
• Using the building level, we find for the steel bath the correct position in the horizontal plane. We make the markings on the walls and, in accordance with it, install the bath in place.
• If desired, you can glue several plates for soundproofing.

Acrylic bathtubs are designed, most often, for installation on legs. This greatly simplifies the task for us, as the set of supports and fasteners, as a rule, comes complete with the device, and the sequence of steps is described in detail in the installation manual.

• As in all previous cases, the first step is to try on the support legs to the installation site and make the markings.
• The next step is drilling holes. Acrylic - a fragile material, so the bath should not be drilled right through. Be sure to use the limiter for the drill bit.
• Then we install on the bath the main fixing elements - guides for the frame and support legs.
• Now you need to install a drain-overflow system and install it in place. To the wall, the acrylic bath is already mounted with a siphon.
• Turn the bath bottom down and carry it to the installation site. We take the building level and determine the optimal position for it. We leave the markings on the walls.
• In accordance with the markings made, mount the mounting hooks to the wall. They will give the structure additional strength and protect the bath from deformation.
• Now the bath can be safely set in place, because it will be supported not only legs, but also metal hooks.

After all the installation work is completed, many more small but important things need to be done.

• Install the mixer and drain-overflow system( if you have not done this in the main stage).We connect the tub to the water pipes.
• Now we need to check our design for leaks: close the drain and fill the bath with water. After a few hours, carefully examine all the connections for leaks. If any are found, we eliminate them with the help of a sealant for the bathroom.
• The next problem that needs to be solved is the insertion of a gap between the wall and the font. To do this, you can use one of the proven methods - sealant, curb tape or a corner for a bath.
• In conclusion, care must be taken to ensure that the not always visible support structure is hidden from prying eyes. For these purposes, a decorative screen is usually installed under the bath. You can assemble it yourself from gypsum cardboard and clay with ceramic tiles, or you can buy a ready-made sliding screen made of plastic or plexiglas.