How do you fix a cracked bathtub?

[wayfun]

After showering this morning we noticed water on the floor coming from under the tub. I found an inch and a half crack in the tub. Any ideas on how to repair that. RTV a plastic plate over it? Epoxy? Fiberglass resin? Need to get this patched up quickly.

[billb800si]

If it's a fiberglass tub then you can use a fiberglass patch ( auto supply places have it or boat supply). But do take a look under the tub to see if it's supported properly. Otherwise it will just crack again.
Good luck,

[wayfun]

Originally Posted by billb800si

If it's a fiberglass tub then you can use a fiberglass patch ( auto supply places have it or boat supply). But do take a look under the tub to see if it's supported properly. Otherwise it will just crack again.
Good luck,

I've looked and I don't think it is adequately supported in that area. It appears that the drain lines run along that side of the tub and they left the supporting floor short to allow for the pipes. I don't see an easy way to reinforce the bottom. It is at the furthest reach from the access holes.

My wife is not too keen on me applying a patch to the top side but I don't know what else to do.

Dennis

[billb800si]

You can get some thick Styrofoam (Home Depot- Lowes etc..) and cut to size and stuff it under the shower floor. If your worried about the crack creeping on you then drill a 1/8" inch hole at each end of the crack (this helps prevent it from creeping) then patch it.
You could also use a short piece on "Eternabond tape" (Same stuff they use to repair outside roofs.
Look here:
http://www.amazon.com/White-Eternabo...ternabond+tape
OR:
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping....LRXjDhSH.dpbs

Happy trails,

[Panhead]

Short term temporary fix I second the eternabond patch. Long term I would replace the tub with a new tub or a shower pan. When you look to see how it is installed it is not a terribly difficult task to DIY.

Steve

[John LLRV]

If more support is needed under the tub, we use expandable 3m foam. Fills up the voids and provides additional support.

Just my $.02

[SmokerBill]

To be cheap AND make your wife happy, you could just fix it using any of the methods suggested above, then buy a rubber bathtub mat to hide the repair. No one would ever know it had been cracked.

[Seann45]

Originally Posted by SmokerBill

To be cheap AND make your wife happy, you could just fix it using any of the methods suggested above, then buy a rubber bathtub mat to hide the repair. No one would ever know it had been cracked.

In most cases the WIFE will know and it will bother here till you replace it...

[Iraqvet05]

Maybe ask your local dealer what they do about cracks. My in-laws had a cracked fiberglass tub a few months after moving into their new house. The builder sent a guy that specalized in fiberglass repair and fixed it...you couldn't tell it was ever cracked and has held up for almost 10 years now. May not be a cheap solution but it's an idea.

[wazooz2424]

there are fiberglass/gel coat repair products for boats that might work well. id reinforce under the tub the a fiberglass patch and then use the repair kit to fill the crack from the top. the kit comes with various tints to match the color fairly well. the idea about drilling holes at each end of the crack to prevent more cracks, is a great idea, too.

[theresa56]

We had our first tub replaced under warranty. It was not even a week before it got another tear. When we took it apart ourselves we found very poor support under it. We completely covered the outside of the tub with a rigid sprayfoam. Reinforced the supports under the floor the way we had asked the dealership to. We then fixed the tear with 2part clear epoxy. Has been 4 years and no further problems. Unfortunately the plastic tubs used in our model and many others are just very poor quality and not made for an adults weight. Hope that helps you. Also the clear epoxy is not unsightly.

[mikefos]

The guy who resurfaced our household counter tops and shower surround recently also does quite a few bath/shower repairs for RVs, so he said. You may want to talk to somebody who does this type of thing near you. They can probably make it match pretty good.