How to repair a hole in an acrylic bath?

[Leah1]

I’m looking for the best way to repair a hole in our acrylic bath please?  The hand wash fell into the bath causing the spout to leave a hole.  I would like to repair it so the hole doesn’t have a matte finish but a gloss finish to blend in with the rest of the bath once filled in.  So advice on products to use would be great.  Thank you. 

 

[MitchellMc]

A note to readers: It's been brought to my attention that the PC-11 56g White Epoxy Paste is unsuitable for use on acrylic. As such, I am unaware of any suitable products to repair chips in acrylic bathtubs.

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Leah1. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about repairing a bathtub.

There are really only limited options for D.I.Y.ing your own repair to an acrylic bathtub. You need an epoxy filler suitable for underwater use, and there is only the PC-11 56g White Epoxy Paste which I can recommend. It is a matt grey finish when set. You'd need to paint over it with gloss paint to suit your bath. Bath paints only come in larger quantities like this tub + tile designed to coat a whole bath. You could get away with an epoxy enamel white gloss paint. However, it's not intended for that purpose.

You'll find plenty more information in these existing discussions:

• How to repair a chip in a bathtub? 

• How to repair enamel bath? 

• How do I repair a chip in our new bath? 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[BD]

Do NOT use PC-11 Epoxy Paste to fix anything acrylic. The manufacturers state that it does not stick to acrylic. 

(from PC Epoxy's web site) 

What plastics does PC-11® not stick to?

PC-11® does not stick to polyethylene, polypropylene, HDPE, polystyrene, nylon, acrylic, Teflon, and polycarbonate.

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @BD, and thanks for your contribution to the discussion.

That's certainly something to be aware of. It's important to note that in this application, the epoxy paste is not adhering as such to the surface but setting solid inside a cavity. It is the cavity itself that provides the toothed surface, and the rough edges encapsulate the paste. Epoxy pastes generally are not great at adhering to any surface unless it is toothed in some way. However, they can fill many substrates if a cavity is present that it can be pushed into. I 100% agree that epoxy paste will not stick to acrylic as it's typically finished to a super slick surface, but I do feel that it is adequate to fill acrylic in the right circumstances.

As I mentioned, there are only limited options for a D.I.Y. fix for this kind of damage and in the absence of a better product designed specifically for acrylic, this would be worth a try. I'll certainly keep the manufacturers and your advice in mind when recommending this product in the future.

After the weekend, I'll check with the manufacturer about whether the product is suitable for filling a chip in acrylic.

Thanks for your feedback.

Mitchell

[BD]

The implication from the original reply was that the product is suitable. There are products available that will work, but they are tricky to use and unpleasant to work with which is why few mainstream retailers sell them. Rather than recommending a product that will not work, will create more work to be undone once it's clear how ineffective it is and damaging the reputation of Bunnings by giving very poor advice, perhaps just say "We do not sell a suitable DIY product for this."

Far better to maintain a trustworthy reputation by being honest than trying to sell inappropriate products as a fix. 

[MitchellMc]

We appreciate you looking out for the community @BD.

As mentioned, I'll contact the manufacturer after the weekend to qualify. I'm currently under the impression that the product is suitable and that filling and sticking to are two different application techniques.

Mitchell

[MitchellMc]

Hi @BD,

Given the inability of the product to adhere to acrylic and to prevent any confusion for future visitors to this discussion, I've added a note to my initial response. Filling acrylic is not a suggested use for the product, and as such, it should not be recommended for that purpose.

I appreciate your input and picking up on those details.

Many thanks.

Mitchell