Refinishing your bathtub is a great way to make it look fresh and new. Old fiberglass bathtubs, as resilient and durable as they are, are bound to wear down over time. Usually, the paint finish wears off after several years in certain spots. This isn't a major concern because your fiberglass will remain waterproof even if the finish wears down. However, it can make your bathtub look old and outdated. If your fiberglass does have a serious hole or scratch in it, you can patch it. This article explains the process of patching small holes and refinishing fiberglass bathtub basins.
Fiberglass Repair Kit
The most important thing you need is a fiberglass repair kit. These kits are sold with just about everything you need to make repairs to hold in fiberglass. However, you will need a few basic supplies and additional materials to repaint the fiberglass. Most kits come with fiberglass cloth which is only necessary for large holes.
If your holes are smaller than a quarter, just fill them using the provided resin. Fiberglass resin comes with a liquid hardener. Once the two liquids are mixed together, they get hard very quickly. Use a plastic putty knife to spread the resin into the hole, filling it as much as possible.
Sanding the Patch
You won't be able to create a perfectly flat and compact smooth patch before it dries. Let the resin dry, and then come back and go over it with the provided sandpaper. Most kits include a small piece of special fiberglass sandpaper. Now that all your scratches and holes are filled and sanded, you should refinish your entire tub, not just the recently fixed areas.
Repainting the Fiberglass
The best way to paint fiberglass is with fiberglass spray paint. You need to thoroughly tape off the surrounding area before spraying your tub. This creates the smoothest finish. No matter what, after your paint dries, you will need some steel wool to smooth out and add some gloss to your bathtub basin.
As you can see, refinishing bathtubs is simpler than most people expect. It can be done with basic supplies and tools that are affordable and easy to work with. The sooner you fix small holes in your fiberglass, the easier the job will be. If you wait too long, you could end up with leaks that damage the structure underneath your bathtub basin, and become very expensive to fix.
Contact a remodeling company like JC James Remodeling for more information and assistance.
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