Bath tub reglazing

[Drifterrider]

Anyone ever have it done?  Your experiences?

[Justinofboulder]

I have not, but bought a property 12 years ago and the tub had been re-glazed. It still looks great! I have also seen several other tubs through out the years, (I am a tile installer) and most look good to my picky eye.

[tct]

I think there are a couple of different methods of "reglazing" and some may be better than others. I've done this on four different tubs. All pealed between 1 and 2 years. Most contractors warranty the jobs for a period of time and will redo them if/when they fail. I'm not a fan of it.

[Counting_Down]

We bought a house with a super cool original clawfoot tub that someone had attempted to DIY with an epoxy reglaze that was failing, and looked like you might catch something from it - it was awful.  We went with a professional tub refinisher in our area, and are happy enough with the results.

There's a super professional version where you send it off to have it re-enameled but that's for serious preservationists and costs thousands plus shipping.  The standard one for plebs and people who can's remove their tubs is essentially a paint job - which is what we got.  They sand it down, fill cracks or dings and then several coats of paint later plus a topcoat you're good to go. It has a warranty, but you are forever restricted to the cleaning products you can use, and I imagine it will fail at some point. On top of that, it isn't perfect, and I notice every imperfection and dimple.  However, its the only practical way of keeping a historic piece and it totally suffices to for the purpose.  I'm just super...detail oriented.  Ours is in our guest bathroom also, so it will last longer due to minimal use. 

Its been a year and still looks good, with 50% use.  Warrantied for 6 years, paid 165 to strip the old stuff and 465 for the refinish.

PM me if you want pictures.

[Lucky Recardito]

Did this a few months ago on an old tub that was yellowed and peeling. We used a company who does only this... they used some terrible-smelling chemicals and a LOT of elbow grease to to strip the old finish ($50 -- not necessary if you don't need to get an old coat off before applying a new one), then applied what their website says is "an industrial strength polyeurethene/acrylic blend material" over the top ($300). Basically a spray-paint job. This is in Chicago, so likely to be cheaper in lower-cost areas of the country.

Took about 4 hours start to finish, plus 24 hours to dry. Smelled terrible for a full day -- if you're sensitive to fumes, I'd make sure to do it on a day when you can open all the windows and doors. I had to re-caulk after everything was dry, and there was some clean-up to do (lots of paper and tape left behind -- the guy didn't remove the paper protecting the tile while the glaze was wet to avoid shaking dust onto the still-wet finish).

End result looked GREAT (unfortunately, I didn't save any pics) and I wish we'd done it sooner.

The project was to prepare our place for sale, and we've since moved out, so I can't comment on wear -- I talked to some co-workers before the project, and several folks told me theirs (done by the same company) held up for ~3 years before it started to crack/peel/yellow again. Definitely not a forever fix, but it would definitely depend on how often the tub is used.

[Blindsquirrel]

   We have done about 10 in rentals and flips using the kits off Amazon. They work great! Does take some effort and the smell is bad. We used epoxy with a couple days of curing and they look like shiny new tubs. Highly recommend it.

[FIRE me]

Anyone ever have it done?  Your experiences?

Two years ago I had a nice old deco tub with an ugly green finish in my 1950's house reglazed and changed to white by Miracle Method. Cost was $500. The paint is warranted for 5 years and it is not a pro rated warranty.

I am happy with the results. But you have to be aware that a reglaze is just a high quality paint, and not nearly as sturdy as the original porcelain.

The tub can be cleaned with Fantastic only, and needs to be waxed with Nufinish automotive wax once a year. No cleansers, no abrasive pads, no tile cleaners, no bleach, and no foaming cleaners.

So far, it still looks great. 

[Roots&Wings]

   We have done about 10 in rentals and flips using the kits off Amazon. They work great! Does take some effort and the smell is bad. We used epoxy with a couple days of curing and they look like shiny new tubs. Highly recommend it.

Do you mind sharing which kit you've used? Any other tips since you've done this so many times? That's great it's holding up so well in rentals.

[Spiffy]

Anyone ever have it done?  Your experiences?

Two years ago I had a nice old deco tub with an ugly green finish in my 1950's house reglazed and changed to white by Miracle Method. Cost was $500. The paint is warranted for 5 years and it is not a pro rated warranty.

I am happy with the results. But you have to be aware that a reglaze is just a high quality paint, and not nearly as sturdy as the original porcelain.

The tub can be cleaned with Fantastic only, and needs to be waxed with Nufinish automotive wax once a year. No cleansers, no abrasive pads, no tile cleaners, no bleach, and no foaming cleaners.

So far, it still looks great.

Waxing a bathtub seems like a really bad idea!

[FIRE me]

Indeed it does.

After the first wax I was quite careful using the shower for the first time. However, I can tell you from personal experience that the tub is not any more slippery when taking a shower than before the wax using Nufinish. Possibly because Nufinish is a polymer, not a traditional wax.

Also, the company highly recommended an anti slip finish on the bottom of the tub, which I declined. After over two years of use, I am glad I turned it down. The anti slip was unnecessary, and would have trapped dirt, making cleaning more difficult.

[Blindsquirrel]

Rust-Oleum 7860519 Tub And Tile Refinishing 2-Part Kit, White
by Rust-Oleum

This is the stuff we use. Works great!

[Reynolds531]

Rust-Oleum 7860519 Tub And Tile Refinishing 2-Part Kit, White
by Rust-Oleum




This is the stuff we use. Works great!

Thanks!!

[AMandM]

Anyone ever have it done?  Your experiences?

I did it with a DIY kit I bought in a hardware store.  I forget the brand, but it was an Eastern-European sounding name, something like Schletzky.  I can't find it on Amazon. Maybe it's only available in Canada?  It was a lot of work (about 3 days), but extremely satisfying: for %0 I had a beautiful shiny tub. Here are my important lessons.

1, you want a two-part epoxy kit, not just a kit to lay down multiple layers of paint.  The epoxy is more trouble (you have to mix it and use it within a  limited time, and it stinks to merry hell) but it bonds and cures to a much harder surface.

2, surface preparation is crucial.  You cannot be too careful with the cleaning and smoothing.  You really can't.

3, did I mention it stinks?  Wear a respirator, set up an exhaust fan, send the rest of the household to grandma's for a couple of days if possible.

4, you can put the stuff in the freezer between coats to keep it workable longer.

Good luck!

[BlueHouse]

Did this a few months ago on an old tub that was yellowed and peeling. We used a company who does only this... they used some terrible-smelling chemicals and a LOT of elbow grease to to strip the old finish ($50 -- not necessary if you don't need to get an old coat off before applying a new one), then applied what their website says is "an industrial strength polyeurethene/acrylic blend material" over the top ($300). Basically a spray-paint job. This is in Chicago, so likely to be cheaper in lower-cost areas of the country.

Took about 4 hours start to finish, plus 24 hours to dry. Smelled terrible for a full day -- if you're sensitive to fumes, I'd make sure to do it on a day when you can open all the windows and doors. I had to re-caulk after everything was dry, and there was some clean-up to do (lots of paper and tape left behind -- the guy didn't remove the paper protecting the tile while the glaze was wet to avoid shaking dust onto the still-wet finish).

End result looked GREAT (unfortunately, I didn't save any pics) and I wish we'd done it sooner.

The project was to prepare our place for sale, and we've since moved out, so I can't comment on wear -- I talked to some co-workers before the project, and several folks told me theirs (done by the same company) held up for ~3 years before it started to crack/peel/yellow again. Definitely not a forever fix, but it would definitely depend on how often the tub is used.

+1. So glad I had a pro do it. Looked great and I stayed in the house and showered daily for 7 years. Never saw evidence of wear and tear. Used soft scrub to clean it. And Dow bubbles too.

[Milizard]

My parents had it done by professionals years ago.  Looked great for a while, but started coming off.  It's not as easy to clean, and you have to be careful when cleaning.  I had the tub replaced in my own home--I prefer to do things right the first time.

[accolay]

Anyone ever have it done?  Your experiences?

I did it with a DIY kit I bought in a hardware store.  I forget the brand, but it was an Eastern-European sounding name, something like Schletzky.  I can't find it on Amazon. Maybe it's only available in Canada?  It was a lot of work (about 3 days), but extremely satisfying: for %0 I had a beautiful shiny tub. Here are my important lessons.

1, you want a two-part epoxy kit, not just a kit to lay down multiple layers of paint.  The epoxy is more trouble (you have to mix it and use it within a  limited time, and it stinks to merry hell) but it bonds and cures to a much harder surface.

2, surface preparation is crucial.  You cannot be too careful with the cleaning and smoothing.  You really can't.

3, did I mention it stinks?  Wear a respirator, set up an exhaust fan, send the rest of the household to grandma's for a couple of days if possible.

4, you can put the stuff in the freezer between coats to keep it workable longer.

Good luck!

+1 preparation regardless if you DIY or have pros do it. Either way, make sure the prep is done right. Acid wash, and then make sure drain or other hardware is removed so prep can be done under those.

If not, expect it to peel off.

In my area it's around $300 to have it done.