How to Fix a Cracked Tub Part 1

Don't act so surprised, you all new we were cracked! LOL

In the lovely new home we purchased in 1994,

within a year we, as well as our neighbors,

had long lists of issues with our new homes.

The builder didn't want to cooperate

and fix said issues, so we all got together to form a group.

As individuals the builder blew us off but as a pretty large

 and boisterous group we got them to listen.

And eventually fix most of our issues.

 

One of ours were our bathtubs.

Both of them had hairline cracks in the bottom. 

We had lived in many homes, apartments,

 and duplexes over the years and

had no experience with cracks in bathtubs. 

The closest we came to a leaky tub/pipe

 was in housing in Miami.

We knew and told maintenance that we thought

we had a leaky tub or a broken pipe in the

 upstairs bathroom wall that was shared
with the master bedroom.

Maintenance came out and looked

and agreed we had a small leak

but since we were to be transferring within the year

 they would wait until we moved to tear the wall down.  

We thought "hey, great! We don't have to deal with it!"

but at the same time wondered how much mushier

the wall could get before it failed.

We went on our way and transferred about 6 months later.

About a year later one of our neighbors was

transferred to the same station we were.

He had a great story to tell us.

Maintenance didn't close up our unit to fix the pipe

and promptly moved the next transfers in.

They came home one day to find their upstairs bathtub

and master bedroom in their downstairs living room.

Yep, it fell thru the floor!

They were very lucky they weren't home,

someone could have been killed.

But now we know...

a slow leak will take about 18 months before it

collapses a wall and a floor.

  

But I digress.

The builders sent a company out to fix our tubs.

They simply recoated them.

I thought that they should have found out why they had cracked,

but what did I know. They looked a lot better, cosmetically.

Not to long later the hall tub had small cracks in it again.

We were past our warranty and I had

other things going on in my life at the time

and a cracked tub was at the bottom of my list of priorities.

OK, fast forward to last month when T fell in the tub .

I think the jar not only hurt him but the tub too!

The cracks seemed larger....time to do some research.

Do I spring for a new unit ( it's an all in one) or get it fixed.

BUT first, why did it crack in the first place?

It didn't take me long to figure it out after searching the net.

The tub was not correctly installed and supported properly
. Uh duh, why didn't I figure that out on my own so much sooner!! When you step in certain spots in the tub
it's "soft", it "gives", while others are hard.

 The builder only had put a band aid on the problem and not properly "fixed" the issue.

Purchasing the correct products to fix it were more cost effective than hiring a professional or purchasing a new one.

First of all clean the cracked area thoroughly.
When finished wipe down with rubbing alcohol.

As you can see we had a lot of hairline cracks

 that ''spidered'' out in a lot of different directions.

Drill a hole at each end of each crack,
this will prevent the crack from cracking further.

We ended up with a lot of drill holes

due to all the different ways the cracks "spidered". 

When finished drilling,

vacuum the tub really well to remove all particles.

You will need Latex Sealant.

 Latex expands to 75% as soon as it is applied.

Do not use expanding urethane foam insulation

that you would use on/in your house.

Urethane foam gradually expands to 200%

and can cause warping or distortion. 

Latex only.

Clean up is a breeze with soap and water too.

Insert the tube into the nozzle and fill those holes.

The fumes are strong so make sure you have a mask on,

the bath fan on

 and any windows open.

It took us 2 cans to fill all of ours.

 Between bending over and holding the trigger

we all took turns.  

Only drawback I found was how slow the sealant comes out,

But that just may be me..I'm always in a hurry! 

It's so hard to take photos of white on white.

After we were done filling, I took a putty knife

to scoop up any "spilled" sealant

and spread it into the holes.

Waste not want not!

Now wait 24 hours for it to cure.

Stay tuned for the next post

 and see how we faired,