Various Ways To Restore An Old Cast-iron Bathtub, Self-restoration Of Enamel, Practical Advice + Video

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

We are restoring an old cast iron bathtub! Restoring enamel on your own

Cracks appear on any cast iron bath over time. Wear, unfortunately, almost does not depend on how you take care of the plumbing, and chips, cracks, roughness are inevitable. The enamel is washed off by hard water and the use of cleaning agents, and the appearance of the bath becomes unsightly. What to do in such a situation? You can buy a new bath, but it costs a lot of money.

Let's try to restore an old bathtub, bring it to its proper, original form. You will be surprised when you find out what you can do from an old bathtub with your own hands, without spending a lot of effort on it.

The cast iron bath is a household item for long-term use. Therefore, replacing it will be not only expensive, but also time consuming. If your bathtub has become shabby and has lost its attractiveness, it is better to use simple and affordable means to restore it.

Content

• 1 Restoration of bath enamel
• 2 Choosing a coating to restore bath enamel
• 3 What else needs to be considered when repairing cast iron bathtubs
• 4 Restoration of a cast-iron bath with acrylic
• 5 How to restore bath enamel with liquid acrylic

Bath enamel restoration

If your cast iron bathtub is damaged only because it has become dark, rough, and rusty in some places, then applying a new coat of enamel may be quite sufficient. In order to carry out these works, you will need the following:

• A drill and a special attachment to it, which will help to remove the old coating;
• Oxalic acid;
• A product that helps to degrease the surface;
• Enamel;
• Brush or roller for applying the enamel layer.

The sequence of the process for the restoration of an old cast iron bath is as follows:

• 1. First of all, clean the entire surface of the bathtub from old enamel. A drill with a special attachment will help you with this. You can use a metal brush, but in this case, the work will take longer, and besides, you can damage the surface, and we don't need it.
  2. If there is a water stone (hardened lime deposits) on the surface with old enamel, oxalic acid will help get rid of it. Carefully wipe the bathtub in damaged areas with it. Remember to use protective gloves.
  3. After the surface of the bath is free of plaque, clean it from dust and degrease it. To make this easier to do without contaminating the surrounding surfaces, cover everything except the bathtub with sheets or newspaper.
  4. Now fill the bath with hot water and let it sit for 10 minutes. Drain water, wipe thoroughly and dry the surface.
  5. Prepare the enamel for application by mixing the hardener and base element. Apply the first coat to the prepared and dried surface, leave to dry for half an hour. Apply the second and third coats in the same way. The fourth layer of enamel will be fixing, after its application the restoration of the bathroom is completed.

This method has some advantages. First, you can choose the color of your bathtub of your choice. Secondly, the restoration of a cast-iron bath in this way is very easy to carry out on your own, even if you do not have special skills in such work.

However, there are also disadvantages. Due to the cleaning of the old enamel layer, a lot of dust is generated. Plus, hand-coated is no match for factory enamel. After repair, such a bath will require careful handling, and the new coating is unlikely to last more than 2-3 years.

Choosing a coating to restore bath enamel

There are two materials that can be used to paint the bathtub to restore its surface: epoxy or acrylic enamel based on appropriate resins. To make it easier for you to choose the most suitable material, we will give their comparative characteristics.

1. Epoxy-based enamel (epoxy enamel) has existed on the paint and varnish market for over 20 years. If you properly prepare the surface of the old bath and follow the manufacturer's recommendations when applying such enamel, then it will last long enough. The disadvantages include a complex technology for preparing a mixture of the required concentration and its application.
2. Acrylic enamel to restore the surface of baths began to be used no more than 10 years ago. In terms of resistance, this material is in no way inferior to epoxy enamel. In addition, acrylic is much easier to apply to different surfaces, even with different angles. But it is difficult to prepare a compound based on acrylic enamel: acrylic itself has a high viscosity, and the hardener used in the mixture is liquid. It is necessary to mix the composition for a long time and thoroughly, observing the ratio of materials in order to achieve the desired concentration. Plus, acrylic is an expensive material.

Whichever finish you choose to restore your old bathtub, you will need to know the rules for your workflow.

What else needs to be considered when repairing cast iron bathtubs

Choose the right time of year for your renovations. It is desirable that it is warm and dry outside, since the windows should be kept open when restoring the bathtub. It is advisable to send small children somewhere far from the apartment so that they are not harmed by the smell of the products used.

Be sure to buy a respirator, and not an ordinary "Petal", but a professional one with an organic absorber. You can use a gas mask.

Stock up on a tight glued or rubberized apron and rubber gloves, at least three sets.

Take a 70-90 mm flute brush made from natural bristles. It will not be superfluous to purchase two brushes at once, because if one of them gets dirty, you need to throw it away immediately. Make sure that the brushes do not come into contact with anything greasy: any exposure to enamel with greasy substances will negate all repair work.

You will need acetone or solvent # 646. do not use solvents based on saturated hydrocarbons, such as white spirit - they are absolutely not suitable for working with bath enamel.

Stock up on rags that don't leave lint on the surface. The following fabrics are suitable:

• Coarse calico, washed many times;
• Cotton fabric;
• Flannel;
• Microfiber cloths (these are used to wipe glasses).

Cast iron bath restoration with acrylic

Now this method is considered the most effective and simplest, thanks to modern technology.

In order to do this kind of work, you will need:

• Synthetic acrylic insert to fit your bathtub;
• Special mastic or two-component polyurethane foam;
• Silicone sealant.

First, make the drain and overflow holes in the insert. Seal the holes made and the surfaces around them with sealant. Attach the liner to the desired location using mastic or two-component mastic for fixing.

Apply the foam evenly to the surface of the liner to avoid voids where the acrylic layer can subsequently sag. This deficiency will lead to rapid cracking of the acrylic.

This method has both advantages and disadvantages:

1. The restoration of a cast-iron bath using this method is not labor-intensive, you will cope with it pretty quickly.
2. Don't forget to choose high quality material. Thus, the bath will serve you for a very long time.
3. The acrylic is smooth and shiny, the surface of this material looks very impressive. In addition, acrylic does not wear out, lasts a very long time and retains color regardless of operating conditions.
4. Of the shortcomings, one can only single out the fact that the work on the restoration of the bathtub with the help of an acrylic insert should be carried out before you start decorating the walls in the room, otherwise you will need to get rid of the tiles around the perimeter of the bathtub.

How to restore bath enamel with liquid acrylic

To restore your bath in this way, you will need to purchase liquid acrylic. This special compound can be found on store shelves under the name Stakril. This is practically the same as enameling a bathtub. But in this case, you will need a layer of material of much greater thickness. Stryl evenly spreads over the surface due to the modernized composition, so you do not need to distribute it manually.

1. To apply this method, you will need to carefully prepare the surface of the bath, just like when enameling. Discard the old coating, strip, rinse and dry.
2. You don't need a brush to apply acrylic. It is necessary to pour the product over the surface, starting with the sides, and then - the walls of the lower part and the bottom last.
3. Before proceeding with the work on filling the bath with acrylic, disconnect the drain and place a container under the drain hole so that excess material has an outlet for drain. This way the acrylic will be applied evenly.
4. The coating of liquid acrylic forms a layer of about 5-6 mm. It should dry out, for this you will need to leave it for about 4-5 days.

This method can be called quite time consuming. But it provides a very high quality and durable coating compared to the use of enamel. Such a coating is practically not afraid of mechanical damage, and manufacturers offer a wide selection of colors and shades so that you can choose an interior design to your liking.

As you can see, the repair work to restore the cast iron bath is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Of course, they will require a lot of time and effort from you, but restoration will cost much less than replacing a bathtub. Cast iron is a heavy metal, and the transportation of such a massive object will cause a lot of trouble, and even more so the installation and subsequent repair of the bathroom.

If you have any questions or suggestions on this topic, please post them in the comments. We will be happy to discuss with you what interests you. Good luck with your work!