Just imagine the mess involved around the replacement of a cracked shower tray, which is, you may think, impossible to repair – you have to remove the tiles, get a plumber in, take down the enclosure, probably chip out the grout and waterproof sealant. Then go out and buy a replacement, which will more than likely have a different footprint to the old one. You then have to make good: re-grout, seal, re-erect the doors etc, get the plumber back in… clean up all the mess. But why, when you can repair?
Yes, it might sound like a good route to guarantee leaks, but in reality, our Finishers at Plastic Surgeon can really repair shower trays. Damage varies from minor scratches and dents, to serious distortions, large punctures and burns, plus chips, cracks and minor splits, star cracks, scuffs and abrasion, as well as discolouring and staining.
We repair loads of these, in hotels, on ships, in houses, schools, and student accommodation. Typical repairs are to plastic and uPVC shower trays, as well as ceramic types, and a repair takes, on average, between 1 – 1½ hours depending on the depth and size of the damage.
Specialist fillers are used for excessively large areas of damage; but for smaller areas, and for joining larger pieces, uPVC can be gently heated to restore the tray back to one, monolithic – and leak-proof – piece again.
Our Finishers then blend pigments on a palette to match the original colours, patterns and grain effects of the shower tray. They are able to mix colours that may no longer be available, and replicate slight fading caused by UV rays or cleaning products, with equipment varying from the finest of artist’s sable brush to a spray gun.
For major cracks, meanwhile, our advanced two-pack resin system is applied using a special mixing tip and cartridge gun. Backing pieces are inserted from the front face then over filled with resin. This can be sanded in around 10 minutes, before being further filled with carbon fibre filler.
The biggest repair we have successfully undertaken to a shower tray – so far – was to a tray with a massive 36 inch split over several contours, where there was clear movement from the crack when pressure was applied. So, however bad you think the damage is, it’s worth giving us a call first, to avoid the hassle and disruption of replacing a shower tray that we can repair, more often than not, in-situ.
Plus to repair is vastly more cost-effective, and environmentally friendly too.
