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| Resurfacing bathroom makeover |
| If you are renovating your bathroom and your budget doesn't allow for replacing fixtures — why not refinish the ones you have? |
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This technique has been available in Australia for around ten years although not many people are aware of it.
Worldwide Refinishing Systems have been in business for ten years. They repair and resurface wall tiles, baths, basins, vanities, cupboards, benchtops and appliances without removing them, and say that they will save you at least 25% of the cost of replacement.
What can be refinished?
1 Porcelain on cast iron, stove enamel on steel, ceramic tile, vitreous china, acrylics, fibreglass, enamels, laminates, metals and hardwoods.
2 Floor tiles can be refinished although being an area of high wear and tear, they will look untidy sooner than the original tiles did.
The refinished surface is made from a tough, heat resistant resin. It is a lead free, urethane based coating which is acid resistant, durable and easy to clean. The materials are 100% safe and non-toxic. The product allows for expansion and contraction which occurs when areas are subjected to extremes of hot and cold water. This flexibility means the product maintains its strength over time.
The owners of the bathroom seen on Our House hired Worldwide Refinishing Systems to resurface the bath and wall tiles; to repair the cracks and holes in the wall tiles and bath; they have also chosen to replace their old soap dish and towel rack with new models.
STEP BY STEP
1 The surfaces that are to be resurfaced are cleaned and etched. In this case it's the wall-tiles and the bath. "Cleaning" is done with a basic solvent, which removes grease and soap scum. "Etching" involves a gel compound (in this case hydrofluoric acid) being applied to the surface with a scouring pad. It's left for a few minutes, then neutralised with a mixture of bicarb soda and water. The etching process prepares the surfaces so that the refinished spray will bond.
2 Remove ceramic towel rail ends and old ceramic soap dish.
3 Fill and re-tile towel rail ends.
4 Install new soap dish and grout in as required.
5 Repair damaged wall tiles. This is done with a hand held grinder. The operator opens the crack and fills it with marine filler (which is a polyester filler that sets quickly.) 6 Full barrier paper masking is applied to the floor, walls and other fittings (such as the showerhead, and toilet) to protect them from any overspray.
7Now it's time for the bonding agent, which is also known as the primer. When sprayed on it actually gives the surface a yellow appearance. Spray the tiles and bath with the primer, and then dry and cure the surface with a heat gun. Test to ensure that the bond has adhered to the etch pads. These pads look similar to Scotchguard scouring pads. They are rubbed over the surface and if any surface "gives" then the surface must be re-sprayed. This coat takes about thirty minutes to dry and cure.
8 Next the new surface coating (Classic Surface Base) is mixed with the specified colour; in this case: "Titanium white". The fixtures are also going to be white. About 80% of the bathrooms WRS have refinished over the past year have been white — it makes the room look bigger, which in this tiny bathroom is an obvious plus, and it also has the advantage of never looking dated.
9 Apply three coats of resurfacing coating with a 30-minute tack time between each coat.
10 The operators set up the fan or the "evacuator", as they like to call it and close the room for at least 24 hours. The surface will be touch dry in 24 hours, but can't be used for 72 hours.
11 Remove the masking papers.
12 Prepare the floor and lay the new tiles. The preparation depends on whether the tiles are high gloss. If they are high gloss you need to rough them with a diamond wheel, but if they are not high gloss you can tile straight over the top of the old ones.
13 Insert latex caulking between bath and wall tiles. This serves the same purpose as grout between the tiles. |
Total Cost
Bathtub: $365
Tiles: $865
Replacing towel rack and soap dish: $50
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More Info
Worldwide Refinishing Systems, Australia-wide
Toll-free 1300 360 660
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Disclaimer
All Fact Sheets and other material on the Our House website are provided as a general information service only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the advice of a properly qualified tradesman. Neither ninemsn nor its licensors (including the Nine Network) assume or accept any responsibility for, and will not be liable for the accuracy or appropriate application of any information whatsoever in any Fact Sheet or other material on the Our House web site. Your use of the Our House web site is governed by this disclaimer and the ninemsn's Terms of Use.
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