Acrylic Rods in the shower
- Thread starter bucktail
- Start date
I remember when we installed our two enclosures. If yours are like ours, the rod sticks through the wall of the shower and has about a half tube of clear silicone caulk on the ends.
While working on the house one afternoon (walls all open at the time) I noticed the grab bar on one of them looked illuminated from the sun shining in a window. Before the walls were closed, I slipped a PVC pipe on each end of each grab bar so I could drop a colored low voltage light down from the attic to illuminate them. Haven't had them lit for years though.
Are you sure the rod is flaking? It could be soap / hard water deposits?
While working on the house one afternoon (walls all open at the time) I noticed the grab bar on one of them looked illuminated from the sun shining in a window. Before the walls were closed, I slipped a PVC pipe on each end of each grab bar so I could drop a colored low voltage light down from the attic to illuminate them. Haven't had them lit for years though.
Are you sure the rod is flaking? It could be soap / hard water deposits?
You could try one of the plastic headlight lens restore kits. Really fine sandpaper followed by a polishing compound.
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Could easily be due to excessive cleaning with harsh chemicals. Acrylic ( Plexiglas) breaksdown due to UV and chemical 'attacks'. Google 'what attacks acrylic'. When 'restoring' the rod be SURE to do ALL of it,not just the 'front' surface....
It's way beyond fine grit. There's a video on YouTube where the guy replaced it with an aluminum tube and siliconed the snot out of it. I don't know about chemicals. It was like that when I bought the house.
I'd clean it with some sand paper then use some white Plasti Dip (https://www.amazon.com/Performix-11...ds=rubber+spray+coating&qid=1606064788&sr=8-7). It will seal it, be smooth, provide a good grip. Use light coats and apply several coats.
I had a shower stall that was enclosed and would require the entire room tore out to replace. It developed a crack in the bottom. I sanded it, used fiberglass matting to cover it and make it stronger. Then used the Plasti Dip to coat the bottom. Been fine for over 15 years!!
I had a shower stall that was enclosed and would require the entire room tore out to replace. It developed a crack in the bottom. I sanded it, used fiberglass matting to cover it and make it stronger. Then used the Plasti Dip to coat the bottom. Been fine for over 15 years!!
I have 2 bathrooms with one piece tub/shower and those DAMN acrylic hand grab bars. One bathroom the bar is all crazed and the other actually broke. After going round and round with plumbing supplies and Lowe's and Home Depot, I finally took the broken one out and adhered hole covers over the holes. Then I contacted a guy that did fiberglass repairs and he did a repair that you can't even tell there was a grab bar or holes there. Granted, there is nothing to grab, but I bet those installed bars wouldn't hold much anyway.
I'm kind of liking this approach. I don't have a fiberglass guy but I'll see what I can find for covers.
Lil Foot
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
I replaced a deteriorating acrylic rod like the one described above for a friend from work.
I sawed the old one in half & pulled out the pieces. I then made a two piece replacement one from SS.
It was threaded female on one side & male on the other. Put the ends in the fiberglass and screwed them together in the middle with some loctite. Far as I know, it's still in service.
I sawed the old one in half & pulled out the pieces. I then made a two piece replacement one from SS.
It was threaded female on one side & male on the other. Put the ends in the fiberglass and screwed them together in the middle with some loctite. Far as I know, it's still in service.