Scratches in surface

[Vinny]

I'll start out by saying I'm a little confused - OK a lot confused. The recent thread on "Granite vs Marble" got me thinking.

I asked this question to my dealer and now asking all of you - If you go into a tub with a bathing suit or "in the buff" what can scratch the tub? She indicated to me that her showroom tubs get scratched from people's belt buckles, keys and things like that - I can understand that but not a tub at home.

Which leads me to a second 2 part question - Why would there be swirl marks on the tub (sounds like a material stress problem)? With todays tubs being made out of the same material whether granite or marble finish, why would one surface fade and the other won't?

Thanks for your input!

Vinny

[Chas]

I haven't seen a  faded tub in years. Even the brand x tubs we pull out to take to the landfill have good color after who-knows how long sitting in the sun.

As to swirl marks: if you mean the marble print built-in to the surface, it's there to hide mold imperfections and minor scratching. Also to give the tub more eye appeal.

If you mean that the surface had swirl marks that were actually scratches, it is possible that the shell had been machine buffed druing construction. Some makers do this to hide imperfections, others do it to all tubs so they have the highest possible shine when you get them home, still others do it if the line person dropped his wrench into the tub and put a minor scratch during the making of your tub...

[Mendocino101]

Vinny....

I think what your dealer mentioned is more of the extreme causes of scratches ...bringing in any sort of sand from your feet things like that as well as wiping it down with a rag that might have some abrasion in it can do it....but not normally... like almost anything certain colors will show more day to day normal wear and tear than others....but not to the point that if you are fond of one of the lighter smooth colors it should stop you from getting it....Ask Lori I think she has the pearl and seems to be very happy with it.....

[Lori]

I do have the pearl and still love it!!!

I use a soft cloth to wipe down my tub when cleaning it and changing the water, but usually don't have too much trouble.

I don't allow any jewelry in my spa, either, which could cause scratches.  Otherwise, I can't think of anything, unless you have kids.  They seem to scratch stuff with no problems (hee hee)!

My tub's finish still looks showroom new!!  I don't have any worries of it fading or "swirling".  

[hottubber]

I also have a cast acrylic shell color, platinum marble. It still looks beautiful. When wiping down the water's edge, I use a scronge, you know, one of those sponges with the one rough side. I don't use any hard abrasives on the shell with it, just baking soda and a little muscle.

hottubber...

[Vinny]

I do have the pearl and still love it!!!

I don't allow any jewelry in my spa, either, which could cause scratches.  Otherwise, I can't think of anything, unless you have kids.  They seem to scratch stuff with no problems (hee hee)!

Well, I have 2 boys, 14 and 10, and I'm sure I'll be "adopting" some more kids once the tub comes! I like the idea of the no jewlery rule.

Chas, I thought I read on the "Granite vs Marble" thread someone mentioned swirl marks on the acylic surface. I went back and looked and didn't see it - I guess I'm halucinating! I was thinking of the type that you see on car surfaces.

Same thing with the color fading. Maybe I read it somewhere else?

Mendo, I know that as a business your display models will get beat up. Thanks for the info on sand and abrasives caught in towels  - I didn't think of that.

hottubber, a scrunge doesn't hurt the surface? I've seen both - the one with one abrasive side (usually green) and another with a sponge encapsulated in a mesh bag. I thought they might scratch the surface!

I would imagine that scratches and swirl marks aren't a big thing as long as their not too deep and are under water.

Thanks again for the info!

[Chas]

hottubber, a scrunge doesn't hurt the surface? I've seen both - the one with one abrasive side (usually green) and another with a sponge encapsulated in a mesh bag. I thought they might scratch the surface!

Lori is our resident 3M products expert - I saw her once say that the white scrubbers are the least abrasive/most gentle and the green ones shouldn't go near your spa.

I know that Baqua sells a scrub pad (with handle) and they don't seem to scratch the pearl finishes. Here's a perfectly useless picture..



One thing which hasn't come up: what to do if the surface gets dull? The good news is that most cast acrylic spas have enough thickness of the surface material that you can sand with ultra-fine sand paper and then power buff to a like-new finish. This is not something people do very often, but it can be done. I have done it once: some people thought they heard me say they could us softscrub on their tub. They did. They screamed. I buffed.

I had only a little Dremel tool - so it took me a couple of hours, but it looked better than new.

[Vinny]

One thing which hasn't come up: what to do if the surface gets dull? The good news is that most cast acrylic spas have enough thickness of the surface material that you can sand with ultra-fine sand paper and then power buff to a like-new finish. This is not something people do very often, but it can be done. I have done it once: some people thought they heard me say they could us softscrub on their tub. They did. They screamed. I buffed.

I thought giving the spa a coat of spa gloss or something like that was good.

As far as polishing - I've used 400 (?) grit black sandpaper with some water - it took off the marks and kept the shine. I guess if I get the granite fiish I could use that if I got sick of it - LOL

[Chas]

Actually, 1200 grit paper as a finish up can preclude having to buff, if it comes to sanding.

[Lori]

Sorry Master Bill!!!  I had to respond to Chas (I guess this means I'll be bumped back to zero   LOL!)

I'm impressed that Chas remembers me saying that!  And I did say that the white are the least abrasive.  But, really, you should only have to use a wash cloth (which is what I use, personally)!

P.S.  Chas, if you need a good deal on a real buffer, let me know!  LOL!  I can't imagine polishing with a dremel tool!