How to install an acrylic bathtub

So you have become the proud owner of an acrylic bathtub. It's time to install it. How to do it? Do you need to urgently call the experts? You should not waste time and money on this, which are never superfluous. In fact, everything is quite simple and quick to do. How? Read on.

Preparing to install an acrylic bathtub

Before you start installing the purchased acrylic bathtub, you need to carry out preliminary work - prepare the place where you plan to install it, the structure itself. Remove everything unnecessary from the bathroom, dismantle unnecessary equipment left over from the old bathtub. Stock up on the necessary tools and materials. You will need the following:

• the bath itself;
• legs from the kit or a frame that will serve as a support for the bowl;
• percussion instrument - hammer;
• grinder - for cutting off unnecessary elements;
• perforator - for making holes;
• sealant;
• liquid level;
• set of wrenches;
• insulating tape;
• construction tape;
• corrugated pipe ;
• fastener

Before you start installing the structure, you must do the following:

• first of all, exclude the flow of water;
• dismantle the existing bathtub;
• remove the drain;
• clean the drain hole;
• install corrugation in the drain hole;
• Treat the joints between the corrugation and the sewer hole with sealant;
• level the floor.

Can't wait to install a new bathtub? It's time to start installing it!

An acrylic structure can be installed using the following techniques:

• use a metal frame;
• use the legs included in the kit;
• install it on a brick support;
• place the bathtub on a brick podium.

How to install an acrylic bathtub with your own hands

The rules for installing acrylic bathtubs allow any of the listed options. If, upon opening the box, you find a metal frame, it is better to use it. If the kit only includes support legs, feel free to install the product on them. They are made specifically for this model. The design clearly took into account the high stress zones of the structure.

Using the legs included in the kit

Perhaps the easiest way to install a bathtub. It does not require special training or any special tools. There are no difficulties if you strictly follow the instructions in the package. If it requires holes to be drilled in the bowl, then this must be done using a wood drill. The drill should be set to low speed. Installation on support legs means you need to screw them to the bowl and adjust them on site:

1. Installation of legs. There are special places at the bottom of the bowl; they are hard to miss, as they are marked with special pictograms or stickers. To facilitate assembly, most manufacturers already make holes in the bottom at the factory. But if they are not there, it doesn’t matter. You can always do them on your own. After the holes are prepared, the legs are fixed in them.If you install the legs in other places, the load will be distributed unevenly, and this can lead to breakage.
2. Adjustment of supports. Almost any legs can be adjusted in height - this allows you to set the desired slope. First, you need to install the bathtub close to the wall, and only then adjust the supports to select the required height. Then you should align the structure horizontally. To do this, the level must be on the side. If necessary, the support can be twisted up or down.

Once the legs are in the desired position, they should be secured. To increase reliability, you can use plastic hooks and attach the bathtub to the wall.

Using a metal frame

If you follow the instructions exactly, you will get the most reliable fastening, and most importantly, very simple. The technology is as follows:

1. First of all, using the self-tapping screws that were included in the kit, the frame is assembled.
2. We tip the semi-finished frame on its side to make installation easier.
3. It's time to put the frame on the bathtub. Attach the legs to the supports.
4. We fix the supports in the central part of the frame, install a couple more along the wall, and three supports outside the bowl.
5. Adjust the height of the supports. The structure should not stand higher than sixty-five centimeters.
6. Now let’s put the structure on its feet and check whether everything is level horizontally and vertically.
7. Now it's time to put the overflow and siphon into action.
8. Additionally, you can attach the bowl to the wall.
9. All that remains is to install the screen.

Reference! The frame with legs can be mounted directly into the floor, and only then can the bath be installed on it. As a rule, no additional fasteners are required.

Using brick supports

If it happens that the metal frame is missing from the package, the bath should be mounted on a brick podium. This is not the cheapest installation option, although the structure will be very durable, but it will require a lot of bricks. In addition, there will be an additional load, which is not very beneficial for the floors, because such a podium weighs a lot.

To make the structure cheaper and also to reduce the weight that will put pressure on the floors, the bathtub is installed on brick supports. This design will require only twelve bricks and some mortar.

During installation we adhere to the following technology:

1. We bring the bathtub into the room where we plan to install it. We mark the places where the brick supports will be located.
2. Along the length of the bowl we mark the location of two or three columns. In this case, one should be in the center, and the other two on the edges.
3. Now let's take the product out of the room and start laying the supports. They should be raised to a height of up to nineteen centimeters so that the total height of the structure above the floor does not exceed sixty-five centimeters.
4. We leave the masonry to dry for a day, then connect the siphon and place it on ready-made supports.
5. We use silicone sealant to seal the gaps between the support and the bottom.
6. We use metal hooks to attach the bathtub to the wall.

Reference! Professionals advise applying polyurethane foam to the bottom of the bathtub before installing it. Thus, we reduce thermal conductivity, reduce resonating ability and prevent damage to the bowl by brick supports.

Using a brick podium

If your bathtub does not have a metal frame, you will have to lay out a brick podium. This method is no worse than the option with brick pillars, only it takes more time, and it is dirtier. For installation you will need a saw, polyurethane foam, bricks, moisture-resistant plywood and the mortar itself.

Here's the simple technology:

1. We install the bathtub where it will be located in the future. We mark the place where the drain will be located. This must be done in order to provide a place in the podium for connecting the drain.
2. We lay out a podium under the entire bowl; its sides should be no more than sixty centimeters high. Don’t forget that there will be about three more centimeters of polyurethane foam between the bricks and the bathtub.
3. Using moisture-resistant plywood, we assemble a box around the perimeter of the podium. Do not forget that the plywood should rise above the podium to a height equal to the thickness of the mounting foam.
4. We cover the entire podium with polyurethane foam, and lay a sheet of plywood on top of the foam.
5. We install the bathtub on the podium and check how level everything is.
6. Fill the bath halfway with water. This will allow the foam to harden evenly. You need to wait a day before the foam hardens completely.
7. We connect the drain and overflow and attach the structure to the wall with hooks.

Modern bathtubs have a sloping bottom, which speeds up the flow of water. Therefore, place it exactly horizontally, without making any slopes.