Damaged shower tray: Here’s How to fix it
More and more people are choosing to install a shower in their bathroom: this solution has many advantages.
For example, it saves space compared to the bathtub and is much more practical. It is highly recommended for the elderly and for those with mobility problems. In addition, thanks to the huge market offer. Today you can choose products of all kinds. From corner showers to larger ones, equipped with seats and other comforts.
Unfortunately, the shower is also very fragile. It can happen to damage its plate and not know how to fix it. If at first it can only be repaired with a little silicone. In the long run this remedy turns out to be useless. Because the damage can reappear due to continuous use and the flow of water.
Fortunately, you don’t need to have technical knowledge to fix the damaged shower tray. Here are some solutions to repair your shower tray and get a good job in a few easy steps! Tips to avoid clogging
What are the causes of a damaged shower Tray?
The shower tray can be made of different materials, from ceramic to acrylic, up to the new slate shower tray. Sometimes it suffers damage such as creases, nicks, cracks, tears. So on due to limescale and other external agents. There are many causes according to which, during the life of the shower tray, cracks, scratches or injuries could arise so as to alter and ruin its appearance. Here are some of them:
- incorrect installation of the shower tray, which will inevitably lead to its sinking into the concrete
- violent seismic tremors
- the settling of the shower tray structure
- the fall of a heavy object on the shower tray
- limescale, wear and other external agents such as the aggressive action of the detergents used for cleaning
- When the first cracks arise, they must be repaired immediately. In this way you will prevent leaks from leaking from the shower tray to the floor. In the long run, this problem could lead to the removal and entire replacement of the shower tray. A much more expensive solution than simply repairing the cracks.
Repair of the resin shower Tray:
The safest and most durable way to fix a cracked shower tray is with fiberglass. This material is easy to apply and, once solidified, is very strong, waterproof and long lasting.
If you too want to fix your shower tray with fiberglass, you can do it in four steps:
To start, we recommend that you sand the shower tray carefully, passing and going over the glass paper to make the surface porous, this will allow the fiberglass to take root more easily. After that, you have to clean the surface of dust with a vacuum cleaner and then finish with a cloth.
The time comes to plug the drain well so that the fiberglass does not enter the pipes and clogs them seriously and permanently. Tips to stop water leakage
Then, apply the fiberglass, passing it with a brush large enough in the part to be repaired or across the surface of the shower tray. An alternative is to create a shape that echoes that of the plate, by soaking the specific fabric with fiberglass, which, once cooled, will be robust, hard and resistant. If you have decided to make the new shape of the tray, you have to place it on the bottom of the shower and go over it with a little fiberglass.
It is essential to avoid the creation of air bubbles both inside the fabric and between the fabric and the resin. In this case, the hole must be taken into account by protecting it well or by taking measures so as to reopen it immediately afterwards.
The last step concerns the painting: you need a quality, waterproof and waterproof enamel of the same color as the original shower tray, which allows you to use the shower as usual. After the glazing, you have to wait for it to dry and then give it another pass.
Repair of a ceramic and acrylic shower Tray:
Repairing the ceramic surface of your shower tray is very simple, just equip yourself with one of the many repair kits on the market, specific to fix the ceramic.
- First of all you need to buy a repair kit and choose the right shade of white for your shower tray
- Once you have purchased the kit, you will need to clean the surface of the shower tray
- Inside the package you will find mastic and hardener. You will need to join them following the proportions indicated in the instruction sheet
- Apply the product with the help of a small spatula and let it dry for about half an hour
- Once the mixture has dried, finish the repaired area with sandpaper
- Get a sheet of paper on which to make a hole of the same size as the entire ruined surface
- Keep the sheet at a distance of a few cm from the shower tray and pass the white paint on the damaged surface twice
- Let the paint dry
- In both of the remedies we have recommended, you will get a shower tray as good as new.
Are you satisfied with the result of your repaired shower tray?
If the work you have done has brought your shower tray back like new, guaranteeing you a sanitary like just purchased, you can congratulate yourself.
If, on the other hand, the result is not optimal, we recommend one of the shower trays present among our sanitary ware for sale online. You can choose a flush-to-floor shower tray such as the ideal standard shower tray on super offer, or the or take advantage of the offer of the 60MM shower tray in our store.
If you prefer other sizes: discover all the shower trays in online
