How to enamel a bath

Over time, the bath has a tendency to lose its attractive appearance. There are traces of rust, various streaks, the glossy layer is inferior to the matte layer. These are signs of an old product, which ordered to live for a long time. Meanwhile, replacing the bath is economically unprofitable. In addition, the installation of new plumbing is likely to be followed by the repair of the entire bathroom. An alternative to this solution is an independent restoration of the bath, the enameling of which has become useless. The market offers many materials for the renovation of plumbing.

General principles of operation

For the restoration, not an enamel paint is used, as you reasonably thought, but a specially developed substance based on epoxy resin. The two-component formulation consists of a hardener and a basic compound. But despite such complex names of components, it is as easy to work with the coloring material as with conventional paint. The only thing experts recommend before training is to practice on another surface. Otherwise, there may be streaks or divorces.

Please note!

Absolute majority of enamel baths on the market are very toxic. Use safety equipment, ventilate the room. Choose respirators with respiratory modules designed to protect against three media or solvents.

Choice of enamel

In the presence of a cast iron enamel bath, one of the options for the restoration of paint involves the application of a secondary layer of enamel. It is recommended to start work with the choice of tools for enamelling. Optimum choice will be substances from well-known manufacturers - enameling the bath with their own hands using reliable materials a priori will be more reliable and durable. Favorite among the colorful compositions is certainly the products of the company Tikkurila. Adhesion of the secondary layer with the base, provided that the recommendations are followed, will be strong, while the enamel will dry quickly.

The paints of domestic producers have good data - Epoxin, Epovin. Compositions refer to the budget segment, but the quality and longevity they have at their best. Term of hardening of substances reaches four days.

An important role is also played by the color of the products. Often in the process of enameling at home, the wrong choice of color leads to a sad spectacle when parts of a darker shade from under the fresh layer of paint can be seen. When choosing a shade of a mixture, you must always remember the color consistency. Give preference to the same color or darker shade. Otherwise, you have to spend on the second and third layer.

Finally, when choosing an enamel mixture, you should carefully read the manufacturer's instructions. It turns out that the two-component mixture after the fusion of the compound and the hardener retains sufficient fluidity only for 30-45 minutes. If delayed, the thickened composition does not lie flat, and the enamel work becomes a parody of plaster.

Please note!

Prepare the bath before applying the paint because of the rapid thickening of the mixture. Mixing of enamel should be carried out immediately before the process of enameling.

Acrylic mixture

Recently, a new principle of bath restoration - enamel with acrylic is gaining popularity. In this method, instead of two-component epoxy dyes, so-called "Ecowanne" and "Stakrili" are used.

Unlike the previous version, acrylic paints are less harmful to health and last longer for a long time. Accordingly, it is much easier and more efficient to work with such mixtures. Even a beginner will cope with the enameling of bathtubs with acrylic without any apparent difficulties.

So, we found out that two types of enamel are used for enamelling:

1. Epoxy two-component paints.
2. Acrylic paints.

Bath surface preparation

After selecting the paint, immediately proceed to the preparation of the bath surface. According to the instruction, the paints will lie flat only on the previously cleaned and treated coating. Otherwise, the enamel will drain on the bottom of the bath.

The main requirement for the substrate before enameling is the creation of a matte structure. It is necessary to achieve an even rough condition over the entire area of ​​the coating. Sometimes the quality of the enamel depends on the temperature. Some types of mixtures on the cold surface are poor. In the cold season, to achieve optimal conditions - to provide a ventilated and warm room, almost impossible. Therefore leave the enamel for the summer!

The preparation process includes the following operations:

1. First it is necessary to wash the bath with an aggressive detergent like "Pemolux".The main purpose of this procedure is degreasing the surface.
2. Then, grind the coating vigorously to achieve a smooth matt finish. As a grinding weapon, a "grinder" with a special grinding wheel is often used. In the form of an alternative, any drill with a suitable nozzle is perfect. Which tools to choose for grinding and enameling baths, you can learn from the reviews of the townsfolk. When using the angle grinder, be extremely careful. Do not fretfully approach the matter, otherwise the probability of getting a bath with a hole in the middle is great. These are cases from practice. If you do not have a grinding machine or a drill, you can fix the sandpaper to the bar and work manually.
3. The next item from surface preparation to enamel is removal of enamel and dust residues. The detergent will help you in this. It is necessary to pour the household chemicals into the bath and leave it for an hour.
4. After the master, they usually drain the water, thoroughly wipe the base with a clean rag. The quality of grinding is easy to verify by directing water to the treated surface. If the coating is qualitatively degreased, the liquid will flow in a continuous stream. In the event that droplets appear, the work is not performed efficiently.
5. The drainage site is further dried using a home hair dryer. The fact is that this area often remains wet even after natural drying. Pre-remove the strapping drain and other holes.
6. The final step is to clean the dust with a powerful vacuum cleaner without attachments. Even the smallest dust particles remain after complex cleaning, so skipping this step is not recommended.

Enamelling

This is the most critical stage on which the quality of the coating depends. Carefully watch all aspects of the enameling of baths on video.

This step contains the following mandatory items:

1. Preparation of enamel
2. Separation of the composition into two equal parts( the first will be applied to the application of the base layer).
3. Application of enamel with a brush width of 70 mm. You should start from the edges, a thin layer, slowly moving around the perimeter. In general, the technique of applying enamel can be different depending on the materials.
4. Carrying the strip from side to bottom, further smearing the composition in the transverse direction. Repeating simple manipulations, you should treat the entire surface.
5. Thorough treatment of the bottom and area around the sink.
6. Re-enamel the substrate. Moreover, secondary enamelling is carried out on a non-dried coating. This technology in narrow circles is called "wet on wet".
7. Check the quality of the coating, which is carried out 15 minutes after the application of the second coat of paint. Here the basis is carefully examined for the presence of streaks. By the way, smudges are always formed.
8. Smearing of streaks by smooth stretching of thick enamel up and down. If delayed, the drop will not be available for fluidity.

Bath after enamelling

Treated bath is given time for natural drying. After the period indicated in the instructions on the packaging of the enamel mixture, it is necessary to cut off the droplets outside the drainage hole. After installing the plum piping to its original place and wipe the new cover dry.

If the enamelling was carried out strictly according to the instructions and there were no objective difficulties, this coating will please you for more than one year. Of course, in many respects the result depends on the qualitatively selected materials and the painting process. But in practice, people who never hold a brush in their hand, can do the enamelling of baths with their own hands.

Summing up, one can affirmatively state that enamelling is not a simple task, but not an impossible task. If you feel enthusiasm and desire to upgrade old plumbing, storm new heights!