Best way to patch a cracked & leaking bath tub?
- Thread starter BarryinMN
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plumboy
Silver Member
If it is fiberglass or acrylic they sell kits at lowes or home depot,they work but it takes practice.Myself I use a company that charges about $70 a pop and you will never know the difference,but these are on new tubs under warranty and no fading has happened.I suggest calling a plumbing supply place that sells a bunch of tubs,they'll have someone they use.
heehaw
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check with a local plumbing supply co., most towns have someone that can do that...and its fairly cheap, and when they are done, the patch is really good, almost invisible..
heehaw
heehaw
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
Two problems here.
First should be why did it crack? Was it from an accident, or is there too much movement? Accidents happen and you fix them, but if there's movement from a poor install, than you need to fix this first. Most often this is caused by not supporting th bottom of the tub with morter or other solid support.
The best way to fix this is to create an access hole through a wall behind it, then reach in as far as you can with some expanding foam. This works really good at filling the voids and when it's dry, you will have a solid tub floor after it sets.
For the leak, you really need the right stuff. I've see some southern engineering on tubs that used caulking and silicone. Neither work very well and are quite ugly.
I do 90% of everything that needs doing on a house, but for this I call my plumber. He's done it a bunch of times and when he's done, you can't tell where it was. It's a one hundred percent invisilbe, total seal.
Eddie
First should be why did it crack? Was it from an accident, or is there too much movement? Accidents happen and you fix them, but if there's movement from a poor install, than you need to fix this first. Most often this is caused by not supporting th bottom of the tub with morter or other solid support.
The best way to fix this is to create an access hole through a wall behind it, then reach in as far as you can with some expanding foam. This works really good at filling the voids and when it's dry, you will have a solid tub floor after it sets.
For the leak, you really need the right stuff. I've see some southern engineering on tubs that used caulking and silicone. Neither work very well and are quite ugly.
I do 90% of everything that needs doing on a house, but for this I call my plumber. He's done it a bunch of times and when he's done, you can't tell where it was. It's a one hundred percent invisilbe, total seal.
Eddie
George2615
Super Member
I had the same type of tub that cracked in the floor area about a foot back from the drain. I bought a patching kit at Home Depot and it lasted only about 2 weeks. I ended up replacing the tub with a steel one. Thats when I found out why it cracked. When it was installed, the fiberglass tub had no support under that area. Usually the underside of a fiberglass tub has some sort of expanded foam support between the bottom of the tub and the floor. The constant flexing of the fiberglass in an area without support led to the crack and even cracked the patch for the same reason.
OP
BarryinMN
Platinum Member
My thinking as well - 1st question what changed??
The house is 15-20 years old, bought from an elderly couple so this bathroom was basically new & unused until 2 years ago, Now is kids bath with daily use. it's on the second floor so access is messy but available.
Local plumber wants $150 to patch, $5-600 to replace or 3K for complete bath redo. I'm thinking a replacement will be a sturdy upgrade and cost effective.
Thanks for the tips /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
The house is 15-20 years old, bought from an elderly couple so this bathroom was basically new & unused until 2 years ago, Now is kids bath with daily use. it's on the second floor so access is messy but available.
Local plumber wants $150 to patch, $5-600 to replace or 3K for complete bath redo. I'm thinking a replacement will be a sturdy upgrade and cost effective.
Thanks for the tips /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I've replaced a few tubs and showers before and can tell you it's very rare that you don't find some level of water damage when you take them out. I can get one out fairly quickly with a sawzal by just cutting it in half or quarters. Cast iron tubs take the longest to cut, but with a few blades, they cut quickly enough.
Relying on the quote isn't usually realistic because of what you may find when it's out. I'll show the client the damage and so far, they've always paid for the repairs to be done, which in some cases is allot more than the tub job was.
It's also very dificult to replace a one piece unit wtih another one piece unit. Usualy you have to put in a two piece, or in some situations, it's multiple piece units. They all work fine, but each piece is just another seam and place to clean.
Hopefully you caught it in time and there's no water damage.
Eddie
Relying on the quote isn't usually realistic because of what you may find when it's out. I'll show the client the damage and so far, they've always paid for the repairs to be done, which in some cases is allot more than the tub job was.
It's also very dificult to replace a one piece unit wtih another one piece unit. Usualy you have to put in a two piece, or in some situations, it's multiple piece units. They all work fine, but each piece is just another seam and place to clean.
Hopefully you caught it in time and there's no water damage.
Eddie
newcountry
Silver Member
In our new house a plumber used his knee a little too much and punched a hole in one of our tubs. They couldn't replace, unfortunately, because they could not get a new one in without tearing out a wall. They convinced us to have someone patch it. It's seemed to work out well, the tub is used daily by our children and no leaks. I can, however, notice where the patch is, but I'm looking for it. If someone didn't know it was there, they wouldn't notice it. $150 seems high to me, but I've long since forgotten how much that plumber paid for the repair /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif