What is this shower base and how to paint it?

[GayleL]

Hi all, I am thinking this shower base is a resin and what would be a suitable product to paint it?

 

[EricL]

Hello @GayleL

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fabulous to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about your shower base. 

By the looks of it, your shower base was custom-built from scratch. Unfortunately, we don't know what resin was used on your tray or if a clear sealing coat was applied. Because of this, none of our standard recommendations will work on your shower tray. Generally, a ceramic-coated metallic tray can be re-coated with White Knight 500ml White Tub And Basin Paint. 

A resin tray generally speaking is a mixture of resins and minerals which are pressed or moulded into shape. It often has the characteristics of stone and can be made too like different types of finishes. Due to its nature, the resin slowly wears out due to constant use. In order to bring back the shower tray's finish, it will need to be scrubbed back until its surface has assumed its original finish. A resin seal will then need to be applied to the tray itself. The resin application is a complicated process and you need a professional tradesperson to apply it.

If your budget allows, I suggest either changing the shower base to a standard one or engaging the services of a professional tradesperson to restore and seal your shower tray.  In the meantime, I suggest trying out CLR 750ml Bathroom And Kitchen Cleaner in combination with a Scotch-Brite 155 x 100mm Heavy Duty Scourer Pad to try and remove the blemishes on the tray. 

Let me call on our experienced members @TedBear and @JoeAzza for their recommendations.

Please keep us updated with your project, we look forward to seeing your shower tray revamped.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Jason]

Hi @GayleL,

Let me extend a very warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community.

I love your terrazzo shower base and think that all you need to do is to give it a really good scrub and clean, and then perhaps consider sealing it with something like Shower Plug. It would be a shame to cover it in paint. You might like to look at this previous discussion on the topic: Re-sealing terrazzo shower base.

Let me tag @redbournreno for her thoughts.

Jason

[MitchellMc]

That looks like quite an expensive terrazzo stone shower base which would undoubtedly be worth revitalising if possible, @GayleL. 

Just so you know, terrazzo in any form is becoming more stylish by the day, so if there is any way you could keep it, that would be my recommendation. If a good scrub doesn't remove those marks, we can certainly try some other methods.

What is it that you don't like about it? Is it that it doesn't suit your other bathroom decor, or was the staining the main issue?

Mitchell

[GayleL]

Hi all, I actually love the base as it is. How ever I am almost done with a Reno from this

 to this

 but got a little sloppy with the tile paint and have this

 dulux tile paint runs in the corners. Which I have tried but can't remove, will take removal as a solution. The stain on the side will only be soap marks as that is directly under the new soap holder I installed. So would clean and reseal with the suggested shower plug. But the paint runs?

[redbournreno]

HI @GayleL ,

These sorts of shower bases were an eyesore for many years but the terrazzo look is very much in fashion at the moment.  So, unless you want to commit to a larger project to replace the whole base, then it would be worth trying some easier and cheaper methods first.

1.  Check the joins between all the tiles and base. Might be worth removing the old sealant in full and applying new wet area sealant in clear or white.

2.  Clean, clean, clean.

3.  Polish the floor drain.

4.  I don't think the shower sealant will work because it usually needs a porous base like ceramic, stone, or grout.  You might even consider a 2pac polyurethane sealant (like used on garage floors over epoxy) with some ceramic beads added for fresh grip.  But I have never tried it - so it's just an idea! You would need to research that a bit more.

5.  Another alternative if to try inserting a new preformed shower base into the existing resin base. But that is only possible if you are lucky to get an exact fit. Then waterproof and tile on top of it. It's not recommended though because there may still be flex from the resin base.

Good luck.

[EricL]

Hello @GayleL

For the paint runs, I suggest using the Trojan 6 In1 Multi Paint Scraper. Because the Dulux Renovation range is a very tough coating the only way to remove it is to scrape it off. Using harsh chemicals might damage the finish on your tray.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Remarka6le]

You renovation is looking awesome @GayleL , I join @redbournreno and others encouraging you to keep the terrazzo look base! I prefer to use drill brushes combined with a heavy duty cleaner whenever cleaning our tiles or shower base, makes things go so much faster.