fiberglass tub or shower repair/resurfacing

[Eneto-55]

Has anyone here had a fiberglass tub or shower unit resurfaced, to either repair chips or other forms of surface damage, or to change the color?  I've seen the advertisements about this, and seen displays at the mall, etc, but would like to hear personal reviews from the perspective of years down the road after such a fix.  (Our house was built in the mid seventies, and our main bath room has fixtures in some awful 'trendy' color of that era.  My wife wants to rip out the one-piece tub-shower unit and install a new white modular one.  I'm wondering about changing the color on the existing one, since it is probably much thicker fiberglass than anything on the market now.)

[Jerry Roberts]

Humm ...  no answers .  You might try a search on UTUBE or a google search . 

[Eneto-55]

9 minutes ago, Jerry Roberts said:

Humm ...  no answers .  You might try a search on UTUBE or a google search . 

Thanks for noticing the crickets....

I had read a lot of reviews already, but wanted to hear something from some real people, so that's why I posted the question here.  My wife wanted to put in a new acrylic one from the beginning, so that's what we'll do.  I saw enough bad reviews mixed in with the good ones that I decided it isn't worth it.  What I really wanted to hear was a report from someone who had it done like maybe 15 to 20 years ago, to know how well it would hold up.  My main reason for wanting to redo the old one was that I don't look forward to all the fiberglass dust that will be sticking to me when I start cutting it up into pieces small enough to get through the door and out of the house.  Also, this is an old thick walled one from the mid 70s, and I put one of these remodel shower units in the downstairs bathroom already about 12 years ago, and it feels a bit flimsy, and can also be difficult to keep the seams where it goes together clear of soap deposits & a sort of mold stuff.  So, I have this itchy job waiting for me....

Edited June 25, 2019 by Eneto-55

[Los_Control]

Ok, will toss out a opinion.

I was a remodel carpenter, and for years, bathroom/kitchen remodels was my bread and butter.

 

I understand the 70's was fiberglass .... Today I would never consider fiberglass.

I would 100% run tile with a metal tub, sad that a cast iron tub cost so much.

Cast iron would be my first choice, steel would be my second choice .... fiberglass would not even come into play.

[Eneto-55]

2 hours ago, Los_Control said:

Ok, will toss out a opinion.

I was a remodel carpenter, and for years, bathroom/kitchen remodels was my bread and butter.

 

I understand the 70's was fiberglass .... Today I would never consider fiberglass.

I would 100% run tile with a metal tub, sad that a cast iron tub cost so much.

Cast iron would be my first choice, steel would be my second choice .... fiberglass would not even come into play.

Are the tub-shower units all either fiberglass or cast iron?  I was assuming some are acrylic, because that's what I put in as a shower stall downstairs, but didn't specifically look at it about the tub-shower deals.  Actually, no one here uses the tub, but we were told that a house should have at least one tub someplace.  What is your take on that?   

This is a split level house, and there is no bathroom on the main floor at all, or I'd consider putting in one of those walk-in tub-shower deals.  But when we get too old to use a shower or tub, we also will be too old to go up & down the stairs all of the time.

[Plymouthy Adams]

relators like to see a tub, traditional or exotic garden tub of some sort or anything in between.....WOMEN have to have a tub....

 

[Dodgeed]

In one of my rental units the tub had a few rust marks, and I researched which repair company in the area was a good match for what I needed. I didn't want a fitted unit that was placed over the existing tub, but what I thought was a better approach was to repair the rust spots. A company came in, did the repair, which included scraping off the old surface, treating it, laying in new material, painting, etc. I didn't stick around to watch. The technician had on a moon suit, including breathing mask, and a huge industrial fan to blow out the fumes. It took him all day. I think the bill was $700.00. It looks like a brand new tub now. Its been only a couple of months, so, I don't know how it'll hold up. The tenant loves it.

 

For another rental unit, there was a crack in the fiberglass tub, and that one was repaired with a rubber/sealant type coating. It cracked again w/in a few weeks. It was repaired again a few months ago, and so far has held up.

 

FYI. ?

[Eneto-55]

Tim, my wife is one woman that doesn't like tubs at all.  (Maybe it is from all those years when we had to bathe in the river....)  But I think it's clear that unless we are OK with loosing re-sale value, we should put a tub back in.

 

Ed, thanks -  that's the kind of review that is helpful, the longer after the better.  But it looks like the idea of starting over is winning out in my home.....

[Dan Hiebert]

Our house was built in 1980.  It has the original fiberglass tub/shower alcove unit (in a period "trendy" color, as well).  Unknown when, (we've only owned this humble abode the last 4 years), but the floor of the tub cracked some time ago, and was repaired with epoxy.  The repair is obviously an older one.  It still holds water, but the epoxy is beyond yellowed, it's "ambered", and starting to chip around the edges.  So, no telling how long the repair has held up, but it's definitely not "permanent".  We knew this when we bought the house, plan is to replace with steel or cast iron tub, with tiled walls.  Moral of the story is to echo previous sentiment, and champion your replacement plan.  Color changes/repairs/etc. to fiberglass, acrylic, etc. are not long lasting.  Metal and tile are pricey, but as they say, you get what you pay for.

[Todd B]

I would highly recommend to replace with a new tub/shower unit, remodeler unit comes in three pieces and you can carry through a standard door. Your old unit is four years old which means the faucet and drain is also that old. Change it with a good quality unit. Go to a plumbing supply house and not your local Menards or Home Depot. You get what you pay for. 

Be prepared to find the floor near the tub rotten and definitely replace whatever needs to be. I’ve been in business 33 years and would never think of trying to repair or re-color  a 40-year-old unit.  Foolish.  

Sorry for my blunt answer but that’s how I talk to my customers, they ask my opinion and they always get the truth

[Eneto-55]

We will replace the whole thing, probably not a cast iron one (and tile), but with a four piece unit (tub & three side panels), probably acrylic?  That's what the one I put in the downstairs bathroom is, only just  a shower, of course.  (That bathroom was a real mess when we bought the house.  The kitchen drain cam through the block wall that formed the shower, passed through the shower at a downward angle, then went behind the toilet and around to the opposite wall, where it entered the main 4" down pipe from the upstairs bathroom.  The bottom of the shower was just the concrete floor.  The water pipes and the valves & shower head were all mounted to the surface of the block wall.  I broke out the cement floor, and connected the kitchen drain into a new shower drain box below the floor level.  The main things I don't like about the acrylic type is that it doesn't have the same solid feel to it that the heavy fiberglass tub deal does,  it is a chore to keep the recesses where the different sections fit together free of soap scum and mold, and the surface of the acrylic has become stained.  The worst spot is where I always set my shampoo bottle.  It's like the plastic in the bottle reacted with the acrylic.  I put it in about 12 years ago.)

[Todd B]

4 hours ago, Eneto-55 said:

We will replace the whole thing, probably not a cast iron one (and tile), but with a four piece unit (tub & three side panels), probably acrylic?  That's what the one I put in the downstairs bathroom is, only just  a shower, of course.  (That bathroom was a real mess when we bought the house.  The kitchen drain cam through the block wall that formed the shower, passed through the shower at a downward angle, then went behind the toilet and around to the opposite wall, where it entered the main 4" down pipe from the upstairs bathroom.  The bottom of the shower was just the concrete floor.  The water pipes and the valves & shower head were all mounted to the surface of the block wall.  I broke out the cement floor, and connected the kitchen drain into a new shower drain box below the floor level.  The main things I don't like about the acrylic type is that it doesn't have the same solid feel to it that the heavy fiberglass tub deal does,  it is a chore to keep the recesses where the different sections fit together free of soap scum and mold, and the surface of the acrylic has become stained.  The worst spot is where I always set my shampoo bottle.  It's like the plastic in the bottle reacted with the acrylic.  I put it in about 12 years ago.)

I have had plumbers put cement under the bases or great stuff (which you need to be careful with for expansion) to help stabilize the base if we have customers that are overweight (I am sure that was not politically correct). It sure helps stabilize the base. 

[Eneto-55]

On 6/30/2019 at 8:17 PM, Todd B said:

I have had plumbers put cement under the bases or great stuff (which you need to be careful with for expansion) to help stabilize the base if we have customers that are overweight (I am sure that was not politically correct). It sure helps stabilize the base. 

 

We bought a tub-shower unit from Lowes - one made of "Vikrell", which I think is a brand name for a type of acrylic.  Anyway, the instructions mention using either the felt pad underlayment (in included), or 1" of mortar cement.  There was no felt pad included, and I don't want to use mortar.  My question is, what thickness should the felt pad be?  I am assuming the purpose of this is, as your last post suggests, to stabilize the tub base, so that it cannot shift around.  I don't really see how it would anyway, since it will be fastened to the walls on three sides, and held in place along the other side by the flooring underlayment, but want to follow the instructions as closely as possible, especially since I do not have much experiences with this sort of thing.

[Todd B]

Never seen a felt pad. I would contact the manufacturer for there advise 

[Eneto-55]

5 hours ago, Todd B said:

Never seen a felt pad. I would contact the manufacturer for there advise 

Thanks.  I had looked on their website, and their Search button didn't bring anything up.  Looked in installation instructions, and they mention putting construction adhesive on the "feet" (contact points) as an option to the mortar, so the purpose of this must be to eliminate movement.  The rough opening from the old installation is a bit less than the new tub (59 5/8 instead of a full 60"), so I'm going to need to notch the studs a bit, so was planning to slide it in from the side.  That would mean that I cannot drop it in from the top as they specify.  I suppose I could notch up higher, since nothing mounts to that surface above the tub lip until way at the top of the surround.  I also haven't checked for plumb on the walls, and I've not seen very much yet that is straight in this house.  (When I installed the shower stall in the basement bathroom, I had made sure that I had the required dimension all the way up at different points, but the walls were so far out of plumb that I ended up having to knock out an interior block wall to make room to go up straight.)