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Improving appearance of shower drain.

Avoriaz
Posts: 39,110 Forumite
Hi, our house is ten years old. We bought it three years ago.
The shower drain is a MacAlpine fitting. The visible top part is silver coated plastic and, as you can see, the silver is flaking off and it all looks rather tatty. I clean the accumulate limescale off occasionally but no amount of cleaning improves the flaky silvery plastic.

The central 6 spoked piece removes to allow access for removing accumulated gunge but the silvery surround, which screws into the main unit underneath, is sealed with silicon to the shower base.
I don't have easy access to underneath the shower tray, otherwise I would fit a new unit.
I very much doubt it would be possible to remove the top part and replace it from above. The unit underneath would probably drop away if I unscrewed the top section. There is a washer directly underneath to form a complete water seal and I doubt if I could ever get a decent seal again just working from above.
I have considered two options.
Painting it with white or silver paint, perhaps Humbrol enamel paint, but I am unsure how water resistant that might be.
Placing something over it that would look nice but not impede water drainage. Something circular with a slight dome shaped that could sit in the space on little legs so that water would still easily flow.
Any suggestions as to a paint that would do the job or where I might be able to get a suitable cover?
Or perhaps you think it can be replaced from above.
You may think this is a fuss over very little but the rest of the shower looks spotless and that tatty drain just irritates me.
Thanks
The shower drain is a MacAlpine fitting. The visible top part is silver coated plastic and, as you can see, the silver is flaking off and it all looks rather tatty. I clean the accumulate limescale off occasionally but no amount of cleaning improves the flaky silvery plastic.

The central 6 spoked piece removes to allow access for removing accumulated gunge but the silvery surround, which screws into the main unit underneath, is sealed with silicon to the shower base.
I don't have easy access to underneath the shower tray, otherwise I would fit a new unit.
I very much doubt it would be possible to remove the top part and replace it from above. The unit underneath would probably drop away if I unscrewed the top section. There is a washer directly underneath to form a complete water seal and I doubt if I could ever get a decent seal again just working from above.
I have considered two options.
Painting it with white or silver paint, perhaps Humbrol enamel paint, but I am unsure how water resistant that might be.
Placing something over it that would look nice but not impede water drainage. Something circular with a slight dome shaped that could sit in the space on little legs so that water would still easily flow.
Any suggestions as to a paint that would do the job or where I might be able to get a suitable cover?
Or perhaps you think it can be replaced from above.
You may think this is a fuss over very little but the rest of the shower looks spotless and that tatty drain just irritates me.
Thanks
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