Manufacturers of modern sanitary ware are ready to offer bathtubs made from completely different materials. In addition to standard cast iron and steel, people are now actively buying bathtubs made from: acrylic, kvarila, casting marmora and even ceramics.
But even such a large selection of models cannot satisfy all consumers. Loft-style interiors are now gaining enormous popularity And a concrete bath is the best design solution for such a bathroom. node. How to buy it, you ask?
In some loft studios, of course, you can find concrete fonts, but this is not so simple. And such products cost incredible amounts of money. But there is always a way out - you can make a concrete bath with your own hands. We will talk about this today in our article.
Advantages and disadvantages
First, let's define the main advantages of choosing a font from this material:
Exclusive style. A concrete bathtub looks very original, especially if the rest of the interior is made in the same style.
This bowl will attract the attention of all visitors to your plumbing unit. Durability. The upel will serve you for many years, since good concrete is a very durable material. And over the years it only becomes harder.
In the first 2 weeks of hardening, it gains 50% of its maximum strength. The rest will be collected over the next 10 years.
Easy to care for. To clean the bathtub, you can use almost any product that is used to wash tiles. In most cases, simply rinsing with water and wiping the coating with a sponge and soapy water is sufficient.
But it was not without its drawbacks:
Difficulty of manufacturing. Creating a concrete bathtub with your own hands is a rather lengthy and complex process. Which requires careful planning and following all the rules that we will describe below.
Limited forms. Concrete bathtubs are usually made rectangular, since round shapes are not at all easy to make.
Therefore, if you want a fancy font with different curves, you will have to tinker a lot, or make your choice in favor of a different material.
Anomalies in Pripyat:
- Department Store (South): Comet; soda is a chemical anomaly; frying is a thermal anomaly.
- School (center): springboard, funnel - gravitational anomaly.
- KBO "Yubileiny" (center): electra - electrical anomaly.
- Old KBO (north): electra - electrical anomaly.
- Anomaly "Vine" (center): soda is a chemical anomaly.
- Anomaly "Vulcan" (west): frying - thermal anomaly.
How to make a concrete font with your own hands?
Preparatory stage
First you need to decide on the type of concrete you will use.
The choice depends on whether you plan to cover the surface of the bowl or leave it concrete.
In the first case, you can save a little and just use a good cement-sand mixture with water-repellent properties, without mixing additional additives.
It is not so important here that the surface is very smooth. Anyway, it will be covered on top with tiles or mosaics.
It is best to use the following proportions: for 1 part of cement grade M350 and higher - 3 parts of sifted sand.
In the second case, it is imperative to use concrete with additional plasticizers , which will make it more elastic and allow you to achieve a better quality surface.
Also, before carrying out work, you need to thoroughly clean the future installation site from construction debris and dust. And additionally prime all surfaces that will come into contact with concrete for better adhesion (adhesion).
Formwork and frame
Step 1. Before erecting the formwork, it is important not to forget to carry out communications. It is necessary to plan where the drain and overflow will be located and immediately install sewer pipes there. The holes must be tightly sealed with plugs to prevent concrete from getting in during pouring. You can make such plugs from planed wooden blocks. It would be better if they were 15 - 20 cm long, so it will be easier to pull them out.
If you are planning to make not just a font, but a Jacuzzi out of concrete with your own hands. It is necessary to provide in advance the holes for the nozzles and where the pumping system will be located. And so - the manufacturing principle is identical.
Step 2. Now you need to make a frame from metal reinforcement with a diameter of 6 - 8 mm . It is better to install the vertical rods first. To do this, holes are drilled in the floor with a drill of the appropriate diameter, and reinforcement is inserted into them. Then, horizontal elements are tied to the vertical elements using wire.
It is not recommended to use the floor surface as the bottom of the font. You also need to make a frame for it and then fill it with the mixture. Since the bathroom floor may have microcracks through which water will penetrate.
Step 3. The final stage is the construction of formwork. For this you should use smooth wooden slabs. They come off better when the concrete sets, and also do not leave marks on the surface that would need to be rubbed down later.
Fill
Before carrying out work, you need to check again whether the frame elements are well secured, whether there are any cracks in the sides of the formwork, and whether the drain plugs are pressed tightly. If everything is good, you can start pouring concrete.
Step 1. The first solution must be made more liquid so that when pouring it inside the formwork, the composition will spread better and fill all the cavities of the future bottom of the bowl. The consistency should be similar to sour cream .
Step 2. When you see that the bottom level is completely filled, you can mix a mixture of standard thickness and begin casting the sides.
It is very important not to take long breaks and fill everything at once. This will help avoid the formation of layers and possible leaks.
Step 3. To better distribute the mixture inside the formwork and get rid of possible air accumulations, it is necessary to create vibration . If you don’t have a vibrating machine, you can use a regular hammer and tap it on the sides.
Step 4. It is better to leave the future bath for 4-5 days until the concrete hardens. Of course, it won't gain all its strength yet, but that's even better. In this state, it is easier to clean up any irregularities that have arisen and round the sides. To do this, you can use regular sandpaper or a sanding machine.
If you are making a loft-style bath and want to enjoy the look of cold concrete, you need to sand it very carefully and cover it with a special impregnation for stone . It will improve waterproofing properties.
Facing
A concrete font can also be covered with various materials; let’s look at the main ones.
Ceramic tile
Everything is simple here, the sides and bottom of the bathtub are tiled. This method is the fastest and easiest, but there is one thing. If you have rounded elements, it will be impossible to cover them with tiles.
Therefore, this option is more applicable for rectangular models. There are no special nuances here. The surface of the bathtub is primed and the tiles are attached with tile adhesive. The only thing you should pay special attention to is the grouting compound. It must have maximum water-repellent properties.
Mosaic
Mosaic cladding is carried out according to the same principles as tiles. But this solution has a big advantage over the previous one - it can be used even if the shape of the font is round.
Acrylic pouring
If you plan to cover the surface of the bathtub with liquid acrylic, it must first be plastered with plastic, moisture-resistant putty.
Putty can only be applied to the surface using a reinforcing mesh. This will increase its strength, which is important, since it will take on heavy loads.
Acrylic is mixed with a hardener in the proportions specified in the instructions for the specific composition. The resulting mass is carefully poured onto the sides.
Workshops on Zaton
We will look for the first set at the substation workshops on Zaton. But before going there, you need to complete the “supplies” quest, which includes delivering food to the hungry mercenaries blocking our path to the tool, and fiercely guarding it from you. To complete this quest, you need to bring food, in the form of six units. Mercenaries have different preferences, but the privileges are as follows. The first to be used are canned goods, which, as a rule, tend to retain their qualities for a long time. Next comes the sausage, and only after these two, with some cynicism, comes the bread.
Design photo
We have prepared for you a selection of pictures of interesting concrete baths.
Artifacts in anomalies:
- gravitational anomalies: springboard - Medusa, Stone Flower, Night Star.
- funnel - Inversion, Gravity, Goldfish.
- carousel - Blood of a stone, Chunk of meat, Soul, Goldfish, Stone flower.
- electra - Sparkler, Flash, Moonlight, Battery, Pacifier, Snowflake.
- frying - Fireball, Crystal, Eye, Mom's beads, Flame.
- soda - Soul, Bubble, Firefly, Blood of a Stone, Hunk of Meat, Kolobok.
Benefits of concrete for the bathroom
The main reasons why concrete is chosen as a material for bathrooms in an apartment are:
- Smooth surface;
- strength and long service life;
- practical in cleaning;
- does not absorb water, thereby preventing the development of fungi and microorganisms.
The concrete ceiling in the bathroom is covered with waterproofing to avoid mold. Such deep-penetrating compounds combine with the surface and flow into all cracks. In addition to the ceiling, part of the walls that border it are treated. Concrete walls are often tiled. The quality of the tile laying will allow it to be laid with minimal seams, and with proper grouting, the wall will look like a monolith.
Industrial comfort
Concrete floors or walls go well with other shades of gray or simple white, while maintaining their minimalism and industrial character. They harmonize with brightly painted walls and other color accents that will highlight the nobility of gray. In combination with classic furnishings or modern sanitary ware and furniture, concrete-look ceramic tiles create unexpected and extremely fashionable compositions. Another interesting trend in interior decoration is the imitation of raw concrete, giving the floor a raw look. Try to think outside the box when designing bathroom interiors and combine concrete with any type of finishing material.
The floor and walls, finished with concrete-like ceramic tiles, look very unusual. However, it is important to remember that concrete looks quite brutal and can often dominate the entire interior. This is why we recommend caution and restraint when designing spaces using concrete as the primary finish. Use it within reasonable limits and do not forget to soften the interior with appropriate furniture, textiles or decor. Adding soft, calm colors to the interior - cream or green, as well as cozy decor made of natural wood or wood-like tiles, will probably be the best solution. Wood combined with gray or graphite color creates unique, surprisingly warm compositions.
