How to Repair a Crack in an Acrylic Bathtub Updated

How to Repair a Crack in an Acrylic Bathtub

When y'all motility into a home, y'all probably don't call up twice about what material your tub is made from. It'south just there and you happily apply it. However, when you renovate your bath or build a new dwelling, suddenly, the question of which bathtub material becomes important. And sometimes it'south not about what the all-time fabric is, but rather, what is the best textile for y'all . If you're debating an acrylic vs porcelain tub, this mail service volition assistance you decide.

Acrylic tubs are cheaper, easier to install, and mildew-resistant, but they are less durable and harder to make clean and maintain than porcelain. Porcelain tubs are more durable, scratch- and stain-resistant, and easier to make clean and maintain, but they are harder to install and more expensive than acrylic tubs.

If you're at the beginning stages of a remodel or new build, check out my guide to the pros and cons of many of the best bathtub materials , including only not express to porcelain and acrylic.

Just did you already narrowed down your options to acrylic or porcelain? If so, and you lot're looking to compare these two materials then keep on reading!

What Features Do You Desire In a Tub?

Non unlike finding a mate, yous're unlikely to find ane tub that meets all of your criteria.

Notwithstanding, considering this is all about choosing the best bathtub material for you , take some time to make up one's mind what your get-go prize features are, the ones on which you are not going to compromise. Doing this will absolutely brand your decision easier, especially if you're down to simply ii options similar acrylic or porcelain.

Sometimes you don't know what you are looking for in a bathtub. To help you, here is a list of the acrylic vs porcelain tub features that nosotros'll explore in this commodity:

Cost
Ease of Installation
Estrus Retention
Durability
Ease of Cleaning and Maintenance

Acrylic vs. Porcelain Tub: Descriptions

Acrylic tubs are really a combination of acrylic and fiberglass. Acrylic is a synthetic resin made from acrylic acid polymers. The acrylic textile is on the surface side of the bathtub (the side yous run across), but information technology is reinforced with fiberglass.

When y'all're looking at porcelain bathtubs, the first matter you take to know is that there are two different types: Steel tubs covered in enameled porcelain and cast atomic number 26 tubs covered in enameled porcelain. Porcelain enamel is an opaque coat of ceramic or glassy material that is fired onto the metallic bathtub core.

Acrylic Vs. Porcelain Tub: Comparing Summary

	Acrylic	Porcelain-Enameled STEEL	Porcelain-Enameled Bandage IRON
Average Toll	$200-$1000	$120-$i,500	$375-$7000
Weight	50-100 lbs	150-200 lbs	300-500 lbs
Customizability	High	Low	Depression
Estrus-Retention	Good	Poor	Best
Chipping and Rusting Potential	Low	High	Low
Scratching Potential	High	Depression	Low
Warping, Nifty and Breaking Potential	Moderate	Low	Low
Staining Potential	High	Low	Low
Off-Limits Cleaning Products?	Yes	Yeah	Yes
Intensity and Frequency of Cleaning Needed	High	Low	Low
Susceptibility to Growing Mold or Mildew	Low	Moderate	Moderate
Refinish, Install Liner or Supplant When Old	Refinish or Maybe Get Liner (Depends on Model)	Refinish or Liner	N/A - Lasts centuries!

Acrylic vs. Porcelain Tub: Which Is Cheaper?

Are you embarking on a complete remodel of your bathroom? In that case, merely a portion of your upkeep is likely allocated to your tub, then a cheaper choice may be the best i. (And if you're looking to save a package, exist certain to read my postal service total of expert hacks for saving big money on a bathroom remodel .) All the same, if y'all're only replacing the tub, then cost might be less of a factor for y'all.

Whatsoever your situation, it's essential to know how much you tin wait to spend on your tub. Obviously, the size and shape will impact the price, but here are the average costs:

	Acrylic Bathtub	Porcelain-Enameled STEEL Bathtub	Porcelain-Enameled CAST Atomic number 26 Bathtub
Average price co-ordinate to Homeadvisor.com	$700-$ane,000	$200-$one,000	$1,300
Average price according to Porch.com	$200	$120-$1,500	$375-$7,000

Acrylic and porcelain-enameled steel bathtubs are both more affordable than porcelain-enameled cast atomic number 26 bathtubs. Additionally, acrylic tubs may be slightly less expensive than porcelain-enameled steel tubs.

Acrylic vs. Porcelain Tub: Which Is Easier To Install?

A heavier bathtub is more challenging to piece of work with. This is especially true if yous take an upstairs bathroom or yous're installing the tub yourself.

How Much Practise Porcelain-Enameled Bandage Iron Bathtubs Weigh?

Porcelain-enameled bandage iron bathtubs are definitely the most hard to install of the three materials focused on in this article. This is because of their sheer weight. These cast atomic number 26-cadre tubs can weigh between 300 and 500 pounds! And it's not just a thing of getting the tub to the spot where information technology needs to be installed.

You may take to arrange to install additional supports into the bath floor. This may be necessary to handle the weight of the tub. Depending on your home's construction, you lot may only want to install a porcelain-enameled cast atomic number 26 tub on the ground floor. Go along in listen that when the tub is in utilize, it will be fifty-fifty heavier with the weight of the h2o and the person who is bathing.

Oftentimes, porcelain-enameled cast fe tubs are clawfoot tubs. If a clawfoot tub is of interest to y'all, my guide to buying a clawfoot tub is loaded with information, including how to calculate the weight of your clawfoot tub.

What Is the Weight of a Porcelain-Enameled Steel Tub?

At 150 to 200 pounds, porcelain-enameled steel bathtubs are lighter and easier to install than their cast iron counterparts.

How Heavy Are Acrylic Tubs?

However, acrylic bathtubs just weigh betwixt 50 and 100 pounds. They are a very lightweight option and the easiest to install. Despite this, they are all the same considered the easiest of these three tubs to install.

Porcelain vs Acrylic Bathtubs: Customizability

The flexibility of acrylic means that these bathtubs are much easier to customize than either of the porcelain tubs.

If you have a bathroom with specific dimensions, it will be easier to custom order a tub than modify the layout of your bath. In this case, the customizability of acrylic makes it a very expert choice, and installation will be more than straightforward. (However, if you've got an existing tub that y'all're determined to motion your bathtub to a new location, be sure to read all about the costs associated with moving a tub .)

Acrylic Vs. Porcelain Tub: Which Retains Heat Best?

Bathing has evolved from a fashion to cleanse the trunk into an experience that relaxes, refreshes, and rejuvenates both body and listen. And if yous need any help relaxing to the max in your tub, hither are 21 of the about relaxing bath ideas ever.

My life centers around keeping myself warm. That's why I moved from Boston, Massachusetts ( brr ) to Austin, Texas ( ahh ). And that'south why I'1000 all virtually a bathtub that can retain its heat while I soak!

The Winner: Porcelain-Enameled Bandage Iron

In terms of heat-retention, porcelain-enameled cast iron wins easily downward. Porcelain-enameled cast atomic number 26 tubs may feel cold when you touch them. True. Simply as soon as you make full them with hot water, the heat is absorbed past the tub and transferred to the tub water while y'all soak. The happy result is your bathwater stays warmer for longer.

(By the way, some people are desperate for an actress-wide cast iron tub. Looking for these is like finding a needle in a haystack. However, I've washed the research. Read well-nigh extra-wide bandage iron soaking tubs here.)

Runner Up: Acrylic

Acrylic bathtubs are the runners-up in this category. Their non-porous, insulating surfaces prevent heat loss through the tub. However, estrus is lost faster to the temper than with porcelain-enameled bandage iron.

The Loser: Porcelain-Enameled Steel

I'm sad to report that porcelain-enameled steel tubs retain heat poorly. Their porous surfaces are not insulating. Sadly, the heat that is absorbed by the tub is lost.

However, if you have your middle assail a porcelain-enameled steel tub, don't give upwardly hope. You may be able to increase this tub'due south ability to retain heat by using a foam insulator. If y'all go that route, definitely read this mail service about putting expanding foam under a bathtub .

Acrylic Vs. Porcelain Tub: Which Are More Durable?

rectangular freestanding tub — *Freestanding, double-walled acrylic tub*

You don't want to have to be repeating the whole process of how to cull a bathtub someday soon. To make sure that your bathtub lasts as long as possible, start with a durable material.

Chipping And Rusting Potential

Chipping and rusting exercise not only touch on the aesthetic of your tub. These problems compromise the immovability of your bathtub and introduce weaknesses and potential cracks where water tin can seep through.

Acrylic

Acrylic tubs do not fleck easily, and because they are fabricated from synthetic resins as opposed to a metal, these tubs cannot rust.

Porcelain-Enameled Steel

Porcelain-enameled steel bathtubs are prone to chipping, peculiarly around drains and hardware. When the porcelain on these tubs is chipped, it exposes the underlying steel, which can then rust on exposure to air and wet. Rusted spots get weak, and the longevity of the tub is compromised.

Porcelain-Enameled Cast Iron

Porcelain-enameled cast iron tubs are not likely to fleck; in fact, they are said to be chip-resistant. And because they're chip-resistant, the metal is non exposed to air and water, so you besides don't accept to worry virtually rusting.

Scratching Potential

Scratches can be caused mechanically with sharp objects, abrasive sponges, or even the coarse salts that you utilize in your bath scrubs and bath salts. Annoying cleaners can cause chemical scratches on the surface of sure materials.

Needless to say, scratches hands catch and hold clay and crusade a bathtub to look old and grungy, fifty-fifty if it was but installed a few years previously.

And acrylic bathtubs are by far the nearly susceptible to getting scratched when compared to porcelain-enameled steel and porcelain-enameled bandage iron bathtubs, which are scratch-resistant.

Yet, although acrylic bathtubs scratch more readily, these scratches are oftentimes easier to repair than a chip in porcelain enamel.

Warping, Cracking, Or Breaking Potential

Porcelain-enameled cast iron and porcelain-enameled steel tubs do not warp. These tubs tin crack, but but if something very heavy is dropped onto them.

Acrylic bathtubs, especially those of poorer quality, can warp. Your acrylic tub will besides flex equally you stand in it. If the tub is not correctly installed and maintained, this can event in cracks and breaks.

Staining Potential

Acrylic bathtubs are more than likely to stain than the two metal tubs that are coated in stain-resistant porcelain enamel. This may seem odd considering acrylic is not a porous material. However, the trouble is that surfaces made of acrylic will get micro-scratches that y'all may non even run into. And then these scuffed surfaces stain more easily.

If you're an gorging bath bomb user or you like to effort healing bathroom additives like turmeric , this high staining potential tin hateful yous finish up with an undesirably colorful bathtub.

Ultimately, a porcelain-enameled cast-iron tub is the most durable of the iii materials we are looking at in this article, and acrylic is the to the lowest degree durable.

Acrylic vs. Porcelain Tub: Cleaning and Maintenance

You should never use abrasive cleaners and abrasive sponges on your bathtubs. Withal, porcelain-enameled steel and porcelain-enameled cast iron are more able to handle the very occasional heavy-duty wash than are acrylic bathtubs.

Cleaning Intensity And Frequency

Y'all do not need to scrub and scrape whatever of these bathtub materials. In fact, every bit mentioned previously, this is actually bad for them. A good and gentle cleanser with a sponge or rag should exercise the trick.

Every bit acrylic tubs stain hands, they will need to be done more frequently than porcelain-enameled steel or porcelain-enameled cast iron tubs. The longer a stain sits, the harder they are to remove.

However, as already mentioned, the biggest cleaning differences come equally a result of the susceptibility to scratching displayed past acrylic tubs. A scratched surface holds clay and grime more stubbornly, and it is hard to clean out, particularly because scourers or scrubbers will just scratch the surface further.

To find out exactly how to make clean your particular tub type, read this post virtually how to make your bathtub look new once more .

Susceptibility To Growing Mold Or Mildew

Porcelain-enameled steel and porcelain-enameled bandage iron bathtubs are not as prone to growing mold and mildew as a material like fiberglass. All the same, information technology is possible for fungi to appear on the surface of a porcelain tub.

Acrylic bathtubs, on the other hand, are resistant to the growth of mold and mildew.

Refinish Or Supersede When Sometime?

Porcelain-enameled cast atomic number 26 bathtubs are so durable and long-lasting that, unless something terrible happens to your tub, you lot probably will non accept to worry most replacing or refinishing information technology in your lifetime or even in your children's lifetime. This is why you lot even so can observe a cast iron clawfoot tub from the 1800s that's in pretty expert shape!

Refinishing a Bathtub

If a porcelain-enameled steel bathtub is chipped and the fries are not repaired immediately, so the metal core may rust, and the whole tub may have to be replaced.

However, if the porcelain-enameled steel tub has been properly maintained just the surface is merely worn, then you can easily refinish it. Porcelain tub refinishing can be done professionally—more long-lasting and probably neater—or you can make it a DIY projection.

Installing a Bathtub Liner

You might also await into getting a bathtub liner. This canvas of acrylic volition be molded to the exact dimensions of your tub and requite information technology a brand new look. Many bathtub liners tin can be fitted over porcelain-enameled steel or porcelain-enameled cast fe. Some can be used on acrylic bathtubs, but it depends on the particular manufacturer of the tub liner. My post about bathtub liners is likely to reply any questions you have on this solution.

An acrylic tub will not need to be replaced because of rust, but if it is warped or cracked, so replacing it will be your just option. If your acrylic bathtub is simply scratched or stained, then you can refinish its surface or maybe get a tub liner molded to fit.

If you demand to replace your tub, then an acrylic one will be much easier and less costly to supplant than a porcelain bathtub, simply every bit they are easier and less costly to install initially.

So Will You Become an Acrylic or Porcelain Tub?

Different bathtub materials have pros and cons. To decide betwixt acrylic and porcelain, y'all have to prioritize the advantages and disadvantages, deciding which pros you cannot do without and which cons y'all can live with.

For example, if cost and ease of installation are major factors, then acrylic is better. But if scratch- and stain-resistance and ease of cleaning and maintenance are of greater importance, then go with either porcelain-enameled steel or porcelain-enameled cast iron.

If you've ruled out cast fe but are debating porcelain-enameled steel vs acrylic tubs, for sure see this mail.

Or if you desire to discover how long other tub materials will last, read nigh the expected lifespan of a bathtub here.

And subsequently all the stress of choosing a bathtub material and doing a remodel or a new build, remember to take the globe's well-nigh perfect bath in your new tub!