Typically you’ll be able to simply stand within the tub and raise and tilt the within door to disengage the rollers that experience within the high rail. In different circumstances, you will want to first take away a steel piece on the backside that helps maintain the doorways within the monitor. This piece ought to simply screw onto the underside monitor, however it may very well be on the within or the skin of the bathtub, relying on the model. As soon as one door is out, take away the opposite one in the same method.
Subsequent comes the highest rail. It simply sits on the tops of the aspect rails however the installer may need secured this reference to silicone caulk. If there’s caulk, minimize by it with a utility knife, taking care to not scratch the tile. In case you are coping with a fiberglass tub encompass, that you must be much more cautious.
As soon as the rail is free, simply raise it up and set it apart.
The aspect rails come subsequent. These are the one items which are screwed in place, however there’s most likely silicone caulk right here too. Take away the screws, then minimize by the caulk on each side of the rail, beginning on the high. When you’ve freed sufficient of the rail to slot in a large putty knife, slip it behind the rail and also you could possibly push down onerous sufficient to slice by the remaining caulk in and out concurrently. Attempt utilizing a plastic putty knife for this to eradicate the possibility of scratching the tile.
If the caulk appears too stiff to chop by, soften it with caulk remover, equivalent to Goo Gone caulk remover ($9.47 for a 14-ounce spray bottle at Dwelling Depot). Use a gel remover so it can cling to the vertical floor, and verify the label to verify the remover is okay to make use of with the kind of encompass you’ve got. The Goo Gone formulation, a gel, is okay to make use of on each fiberglass and tile, and the label says it softens each silicone and acrylic caulk. Since you’re coping with cured caulk, wait not less than two hours — and as much as seven — for the caulk to melt sufficient so you’ll be able to minimize by it. The remover is a petroleum-based solvent, so put on gloves.
When you take away each aspect rails, free the underside rail. It’s simply held on with caulk, however by this level try to be skilled in eradicating that.
End up by eradicating all the caulk remnants. Scrape off as a lot as attainable, utilizing a razor blade held as flat as attainable to the floor. Take away the ultimate remnants with caulk remover. Wash off any remaining remover with heat, soapy water.
To patch the holes, use a two-part filler made for holes in vehicle our bodies. A customer support consultant for Bondo, a 3M model, beneficial utilizing fiberglass filler, which is waterproof, over common auto physique filler, which isn’t. However she stated both would work so long as you paint the patches, which you’d need to do anyway to match the tile and to guard the patch from cleansing options. If you happen to go for the fiberglass filler, be sure you purchase a product that features quick strands of fiberglass; you don’t need the kind that requires making use of fiberglass mesh and portray over it with the resin. A quart of Bondo glass reinforced filler is $21.99 at Ace {Hardware}. The hardener, bought individually, is $6.99 for a .37-ounce tube. (A 14-ounce kit with Bondo auto body filler prices $14.99 and the hardener is included.)
A YouTube video from Ron Hazelton exhibits the patching course of with the common auto physique filler. Combine the resin and hardener and press the combination into the screw holes with a putty knife. When the patch cures barely however continues to be rubbery, slice off the surplus with a razor blade. The patch needs to be flush with the tile floor and confined to only the screw holes; don’t go away smears throughout the tile. Sand the patch with very wonderful sandpaper — Hazelton makes use of 600-grit, lubricated with water — to make it as easy because the tile. Then combine touch-up porcelain paint to match the colour of the tile as intently as attainable. The TileFix tile and stone repair kit ($22.71 at Dwelling Depot) consists of small bottles of eight colours and a information to combining them to match nearly any shade. Apply the paint with a small artist’s brush. This equipment additionally incorporates acrylic putty that you possibly can use to fill the holes, however it stays barely versatile when cured.
