Repair of shower trays with their own hands

A shower cabin - a thing so convenient and practical that many of us long ago abandoned the bath in favor of this device, more appropriate to the modern pace of life. However, despite a number of obvious advantages, shower cabins are not without disadvantages - there are several points on which the traditional bathtub is significantly superior to them.

One of these points is durability. A simple cast-iron bath can last for decades without requiring repair (except for the occasional renewal of the enamel coating). A shower cabin has a more complex device, so it is quite often subject to breakdowns - both mechanical and electronic in nature.

This article is devoted to the repair of shower trays: we will tell you about the types and causes of breakdowns, as well as ways to fix them.

A quality shower cabin from a reliable manufacturer should break down only in exceptional cases. Most often the installers or the users themselves are to blame for the breakdowns that occurred. Let's consider the most common reasons why the tray begins to need repair:

• Errors made during installation. When installing it is very important to comply with the requirements specified by the manufacturer in the installation manual. For example, if you put the cabin on an uneven surface, the load on the tray will be distributed unevenly, which will lead to its damage.
• Failure to comply with the rules of operation. This applies mainly to the weight load or mechanical effects. Pallets made of fragile materials such as acrylic or plastic often break if you place weight on them for which they are not designed. In addition, small chips and cracks can occur when heavy objects, such as a showerhead, are thrown on the tray.
• Factory defect. If the tray broke because of a defect committed at the production stage, then your fault will certainly not be. By the way, this happens quite rarely and, if the warranty period has not expired, to solve the problem is not difficult.

The amount of work and the set of tools required is determined by the severity of the damage. They can be light (scratches or shallow cracks), medium (small chips), and heavy (through holes). Let's see what can be done in each case.

If the damage is not serious, you can deal with it very quickly. To do this, you will need: degreasing solution, a rag, a brush, acrylic paint in the tone of the pallet. First you should wash off the dirt, wipe dry and degrease the damaged area. This can be done with alcohol, acetone or nail polish remover. Then arm yourself with paint and a brush, and gently fill the crack (you must work on a dry surface). After the paint dries, apply a second coat if necessary. After 24 hours the pallet will be ready to use again.

Cracks of great depth are almost impossible to get rid of with acrylic paint alone. A better solution would be to reinforce the base with an acrylic liner. Here you have two options - buy a ready-made product or make one yourself.

To make the liner yourself, you will need a large amount of acrylic paint and acrylic hardener. The mixing proportions are indicated on the package - they must be carefully observed.

Before you get to work, the pallet should be carefully washed, remove all dirt, degrease and dry. Then the entire surface of the pan should be evenly coated with the prepared compound. Take care that the layer is not too thick, but at the same time covers all the cracks.

After the composition dries, the irregularities can be brushed with sandpaper.

In the case of through damage, we also need to make something like a liner, but stronger and more complex in composition. In addition to acrylic and hardener, you will need to buy epoxy.

The preparations will be the same as in the previous case. When everything is ready, apply a layer of epoxy to the damaged area. When it dries, coat the surface of the pallet with a mixture of acrylic paint and hardener. After the second coat dries, you can apply acrylic varnish on top of it - this will give the product even more strength.

In the video below, you can see how else repair shower trays by yourself without the help of a professional.

If the damage is so severe that it is not possible to fix it, the most correct solution is to buy a new tray. The biggest challenge is to find a tray in stores that is compatible with your shower enclosure in size, shape and design features.

A new shower tray must be installed on a perfectly flat surface. It must be positioned strictly horizontally (a building level will greatly facilitate your task).

How to install the tray of the shower cabin, you can see in the following video of the channel "Leroy Merlin Russia".

The partitions of shower cabins crack much less often than the trays, because they are not under such a heavy load.. However, if the crack on the wall or door did appear, do not get upset. It is unlikely to be possible to return the partition to its ideal appearance, but it is quite possible to restore the strength.

To do this, you will need the same set of tools and materials as for repair of the tray. After carrying out preliminary preparation of the surface, treat the crack with epoxy. After it dries, apply a layer of acrylic paint on top. The final step is to cover the surface with acrylic varnish.

• Follow the sequence and rules of installation of the shower enclosure, specified in the installation manual.
• Do not move around on the shower tray too much, do not jump up and try not to throw heavy objects into it.
• To care for the shower enclosure use only mild detergents, avoid detergents with aggressive chemical composition, which can damage the acrylic and glass surfaces.
• When choosing a shower enclosure, give preference to the product from a reliable, well-established manufacturer, which provides the longest possible warranty.
• Strengthen the bottom of the shower enclosure can be using one folk method - a pillow of bricks. Instead of cement mortar, it is recommended to use installation foam for this.