Repairs to a fiberglass tub?

[John Kogel]

The floor of this fiberglass one piece tub/shower unit is cracked in an area about 1' X2 '. I'll bet there's no support of any kind under the tub floor. No sign of leaks, 1995 house. Does anyone know about repairs?

By cutting some drywall, there's access to the area under this tub, so mortar or foam could be added underneath. Then the gel coat or acrylic surface needs repair somehow. The problem is, the floor is nubby texture, not smooth. Will it be too hard, too costly to patch?

Replacing this unit is going to be a chore. It's upstairs in a 1000 sq ft townhouse, first time buyers.

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[kurt]

Maybe, but if you can't re-support it with foam, it's just going to crack again.

I couldn't trust it regardless.

[Brandon Whitmore]

Here ya go:

http://www.badgerbath.com/tub_floor_overlayments.html

[Jim Katen]

In my area, a company called Bathcrest can make those kind of repairs. They once replaced the entire bottom side of a 1960s-era tub during one of my inspections. The guy used a saw to literally cut out the bottom of the tub. Then he rebuilt it right there in place with plywood, fiberglass, & gelcoat. He was done before I was and it looked good.

I've seen some pretty badly messed up tubs in new construction that were fixed perfectly. Fiberglass is pretty easy to fix if you know what you're doing.

[John Kogel]

Thanks all. Brandon, the full floor overlay looks like the way to go. I am hoping to hear from a local repair company to see if they offer the same service.

In the past, I've just said replace the tub, but it's good to suggest alternatives, too.

Yes, and they need to prop the floor up prop-erly.