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Fixing A Hole In A Bath Tub
Our tub/shower unit is 22 years
old. The flat metal part of the tub that joins the wall tile has
rusted through leaving a hole about one half inch wide and one inch
long.
I can't access this area from below--I'll have to work strictly from
the top. Is there some kind of good thick sticky compound that will
fill in such a spot without dropping through the hole, thus
accomplishing nothing?
We live in Florida.
There
is something that should work, but getting the desired appearance
may be tricky.
Automotive body filler (such as Bondo) is a great material for
such a task. I have also used fiberglass-based gooey compounds
(Stuff-It was the name, I think) for patching holes in steel.
These should be available at automotive parts stores such as NAPA,
Pep Boys or Auto Zone.
With Stuff-It, I have used ordinary wax paper as a backing (but on
the front side of the hole) to get a smooth surface that was
smooth and even with the surrounding metal. Once the filler
hardened, the wax paper just peeled right off.
Another thing that might work is a fiberglass boat repair kit.
This uses sheets of fiberglass material with a two-part resin. But
if your hole is too big the fabric may sag while the runny resin
hardens. I'd look for Stuff-It or some similar glass-fiber
reinforced auto body filler.
When this stuff has hardened (in a couple of hours) you should be
able to file and sand it smooth and then prime and paint it. I
recently saw some epoxy paint at a hardware store, paint used for
appliances and such. That would be the ticket, I think. And there
are companies that will come to your house and repair chipped tub
enamel. (Look in your Yellow Pages.) Maybe they can get the right
paint over the patch, if it even needs paint at all.
Bruce W. Maki, Editor.
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