bathtub repair

[Taiwan Luthiers]

The bathtub in my bathroom is cracked, and because of that it leaked water into the bathroom floor while showering.

The landlord will pay for the material (deducted from rent payments) to fix the bathtub crack.

Has anyone tried to fix a leaking bathtub, the way I see is I just sand off the gel coat, and then fiberglass over the crack. Will this work?

[Incubus]

Don't bother repairing it. A fiberglass tub is shot once it's cracked. Same thing happened to my tub years ago. I tried gluing the crack together, but it cracked again under my weight. I had to replace it with a new one, and my landlady, knowing how old the thing was, footed the bill. Just keep in mind that the work of replacing it will take an entire day.

[Taiwan Luthiers]

Don't bother repairing it. A fiberglass tub is shot once it's cracked. Same thing happened to my tub years ago. I tried gluing the crack together, but it cracked again under my weight. I had to replace it with a new one, and my landlady, knowing how old the thing was, footed the bill. Just keep in mind that the work of replacing it will take an entire day.

So you mean I can't lay fiberglass cloth over it?

[Incubus]

I have no idea how fiberglass cloth works. How would you make it hermetically sealed? And wouldn't the edges dig into your skin as you lie in the tub? The problem with my old tub was there wasn't enough concrete underneath it to support my weight, and it just gave over time. So when I had the new tub put in, I made sure that the new concrete support was more than adequate, and it turned out literally hard as a rock. Could have done jumping jacks on it and it wouldn't have made a dent.

[Belgian Pie]

Nothing in Taiwan is ever made to be fixed, when broken throw out and buy new! That's the motto!

[Taiwan Luthiers]

Thing is, the landlord isn't willing to pay to replace the bathtub because it is very expensive. The bathtub itself is going to be over 10,000NT and the work is probably going to be at least another 3000.

There are support under the bathtub (I can tell because it feels solid) but it seems inconsistent, the area with the crack seems to be lacking support. I am thinking of drilling a hole there and filling that area with expanding foam. I hope it will be enough. I will then fiberglass over the thing. The landlord is willing to pay 1000nt for materials (fiberglass, resin, foam, etc.) to get it fixed though. They aren't concerned about a cosmetically perfect fix (neither am I, the bathroom looks ugly already) but I am more concerned about the leak as I am trying to maintain a dry bathroom environment. Although a new gelcoat over the entire bathtub will probably be a good thing after the crack is patched over to make things look new again...

If it was my house I probably get rid of the bathtub altogether and just have a shower stall, but then I'll want to replace the sink, toilet, and retile the entire bathroom too. Right now though I'll probably power wash the bathroom to get the old grime off the tiles...

[Impaler]

If the crack were on the wall, you'd probably be able to do this, but it sounds like it's on the bottom surface of the tub. No way it'll last.

[ichbinjenny]

I've got the exact same problem in my new apartment. I was going to have my handyman take a look, since I thought it could be a simple caulk-it-up kind of job.

Taiwan Luthiers: I don't think 10K for the tub is too much. I'm already investing 10K+ on lighting and another 10K on carpets/rugs. I figure it will be worth me paying since I'll get what I want, and I'll be able to use it for the next few years -- I want to make sure they do it right. Are you finding your own contractor/workers?

[StuartCa]

it's not your fault the bath broke, it's normal wear and tear. The landlord should either have it repaired or replace it. It's too much to expect you to do it.

[ichbinjenny]

it's not your fault the bath broke, it's normal wear and tear. The landlord should either have it repaired or replace it. It's too much to expect you to do it.

OK.