RV bathtub repair - Fiberglas?

[carson]

Anyone have any good ideas on approaching repair of a burned area in bathtub floor?

I have a spot, caused by a smoldering fire in a plastic trashcan, which heated  through and damaged the floor. A spot about 3" diam. 1/4" high in the center..

Grinding it down, hoping it won't penetrate the thickness of the floor?

Or?

carson, FL

 

[Woody]

You can buy a fiberglas repair kit at most home centers or auto supply stores. It will consist of a can of resin and a smaller can of hardener and some fiberglass cloth which resembles flexible screen wire. Follow directions on the kit but basically you sand the area down to remove the burnt portion and surrounding area and then mix the resin and hardener and working quickly "paint" it over the area, lay the cloth over the resin mix and then brush more resin mix over the cloth. Get it as smooth as possible and then allow to dry. After dry you can sand it down smooth. You can then match the original color with some epoxy paint. Depending on your skill it won't be as pretty as original but then who sees the bottom of your shower/tub besides family.

Woody

 

[carson]

Thanks, Woody,

I agree, seems to be the only way to go. I have done some fiberglass work before and am sure that I can fix it satisfactorily. There is only I and the good lady that will see it. The little dog cant see over the tub side anyway.  ;D

  No magic cures for something like this, I guarantee it.

Thanks again,  carson FL

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Perhaps something like this would be useful?  I haven't tried it myself.

Bath Wizard

There are other brands of tub repair kits - check at a hoe center or hardware store or search onine.

 

[Karl]

Just a cautionary note, but whatever method you choose, make sure the area is well supported by additional under-layers of fiberglass or other material to support a persons weight if in a 'traffic' area of the tub. You don't want it to crack after you've done a masterful job of repairing it to like-new condition If it's in a corner or on a sidewall, there shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Lou Schneider]

What kind of tub do you have?  If it's a Duo-Form plastic tub the support underneath is a piece of stiff styrofoam about 2" thick (it looks like a left-over piece of packing material).

If you melted the floor, there's a very good chance you also melted the styrofoam support.  Make sure you check and re-enforce it as necessary.  If you just fiberglass over the top all you'll do is spread the stress around and you'll likely get a crack in a new area.

If you have an existing crack, drill a hole at each end to relieve the stress.  Otherwise the crack will just continue spreading.