Don’t replace – repair. And here’s how

In the past, householders have looked at repairs that involved joining metal back to metal or to other materials and accepted they’d just have to go out and buy a replacement and then pay a handyman to fit it.

Dont replace - repair

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The reasons that people haven’t attempted metal repairs are related to the metal bonding adhesives available. Epoxy resins can join metals, but they’re a pain to use. You have to make sure you mix them in exactly the right proportions, which is difficult to do by eye. Then you have to wait for them to “cure” or set. Some of the epoxies will not be fully cured for seven days! That’s not very convenient if the item is in the bathroom and has to be used every day, or you’re running a bed and breakfast and need to make a repair in order to let a room. Even when you’ve been through the epoxy palaver, the joins these adhesives make are not spectacularly strong.

Polymer adhesives: the game changers

All of that has changed thanks to an amazing new high-tech material called a hybrid polymer. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but it’s basically a glue that is made of various other materials that is able to combine a strong adhesive with ingredients that add to its performance. While the old epoxy glues were very rigid and could crack if the metals expanded or contracted, these new materials are both strong and flexible. Moreover, they make it possible to join not just metal to metal but also metal to wood, plastic and other materials.

Use this everywhere in the bathroom

One of the leading products is Power Grab ‘N’ Bond. http://www.ct1ltd.com/en/metal-to-metal-adhesive.html.This is an incredible product. Just looking at the bathroom, it can seal the bath, bond wood and aluminium fittings together, bond metal on metal, stick plastic to metal or PVC, and perform dozens of other functions. It’s brilliant for fixing bathroom mirrors because it’s glass friendly and won’t cause black spots to appear on the mirror over time as other adhesives do. The other great thing about this product is that it can be used underwater or in wet rooms. This is one of the new high-tech products that will completely change our view of what’s possible in our homes.