Has anyone ever refinished a bathtub?

[Slartibartfast]

My house is about 50 years old and there is a bathtub in it that could use some work. It is just OLD and at this point there is just no way I can get it to look just like I want it. I have tried every nasty chemical and natural product available.

 

I know there are kits one can get to refinish the bathtub yourself but how well do they work?

[CalicoKat]

My house is about 50 years old and there is a bathtub in it that could use some work. It is just OLD and at this point there is just no way I can get it to look just like I want it. I have tried every nasty chemical and natural product available.

 

I know there are kits one can get to refinish the bathtub yourself but how well do they work?

 

:lurk5:

[jujsky]

My cousin's boyfriend used a kit to finish their bathtub. I'm sorry, but I don't know the name of it. He said it was a lot of work, but I saw it and it looks beautiful! Truly, it looks brand-new.

[Tenaj]

The people who owned our house before us evidently did our bathtub (the leftover package of material was in the bathtub cabinent). It looked good for a while, but now it's peeling and really nasty. Who knows - they may not have done it properly or used the incorrect material but we're in the position now of needing to replace the tub.

[GTJo1996]

We built a house in 2003 and used an antique clawfoot tub that had previously been a cow watering trough - seriously! I live in the Atlanta area and there is a company here called Unique Refinishers. They also have a 2nd location in Ohio. It costs a lot of money but it really needs to be done by a pro with a paint area that will not allow any junk to get in the finish. Some pro places have a mobile unit for built-in tubs.

 

I think it was about $500 to refinish the tub and paint it inside and out and the feet too. My feet were rusted due to the years in the pasture. I will tell you honestly, I'm not sure I would re-do it again. At about the 5 yr mark, I started noticing cracks in the finish. By year 7 there were major peels. So if my experience is typical, you may face refinishing it again in less than 10 yrs.

 

Ultimately I replaced the tub last year when we had to remodel due to a shower leak (separate shower). Also cast iron tubs weigh a tremendous amount and my hubby literally wanted to cry when I asked if we could move it again. For $1400 I bought a new tub that looks old. Just my 2 cents!

[Bensmom]

Dh tried the kit and the results were not worth the effort. We hired a pro tub refinisher for another tub and it looked great, but started to peel a little around the drain plug after just a few weeks. (We moved shortly after so I don't know if it continued to hold up or not)

[Crafty Mathy Mom]

We had our 50 year old tub professionally refinished 10 years ago. It cost around $400. It looked great for about a year. Then it started peeling close to the drain. Little by little it started to discolor and chip along the bottom. The sides looked fine. We remodeled this year and got a new tub.

[Denisemomof4]

I'm SO DISAPPOINTED to hear a pro refinisher (I didn't know there were DIY kits) job will peel. We have an over sized cast iron tub. I went back and forth about should I replace it with a jetted tub (and I don't take baths!) mainly because I wanted to add shower doors. Then the Hive showed me - NO shower doors. Don't need that PITA. So I decided to have the tub refinished when the timing was right. I'm about halfway through with the bath remodel....... and now I'm finding out that the refinishing won't last. I'm SO BUMMED!!! :crying:

 

Sis, I remember YEARS ago I used to buy Suave coconut shampoo. LOVE the smell of coconut. One of my boys dumped the shampoo in the tub and was TOTALLY bummed but decided to go ahead and scrub the tub out with it. Why waste it? Where the shampoo had slowly leaked, there was a white streak going down the middle of the tub. :001_huh: I had tried every chemical to whiten it (it's really not bad, just kind of "dingy") but got excited when I saw that. I spread the shampoo all over the tub but it really didn't work as it didn't stay in place. Now that I think of it, maybe I'll try again but make a paste out of the shampoo and then leave it on. Maybe cornstarch or baking soda. It's worth a try!

 

I seriously don't know how we'd get our tub out. It's MUCH, much bigger than a clawfoot. I always wondered why there was a cut out in the floor of the room above the garage with stairs leading up to it. I'm *certain* it had to happen to get that HUGE tub into the bathroom. Our plumber, a friend, told us to NEVER get rid of it. SO BUMMED to hear about refinishing. :sad:

[Karen A]

My very pink bathtub was sprayed white by professional finishers about 5 years ago. I use nothing abrasive to clean it (I was given a list of approved/disapproved cleaners). It does only get used about 6x/week, but it still looks lovely with no peeling. When I got estimates, I asked for references that were not recent jobs, and called them.

[PrincessAriel]

Dh did our '70's brown tub and it has not held up at all. It has peeled a lot and is an eyesore. I think he is going to end up with a sledge hammer and just get rid of it. :glare: Thank goodness we have two other bathrooms. I think we will just replace it with a shower.

[Slartibartfast]

I'm SO DISAPPOINTED to hear a pro refinisher (I didn't know there were DIY kits) job will peel. We have an over sized cast iron tub. I went back and forth about should I replace it with a jetted tub (and I don't take baths!) mainly because I wanted to add shower doors. Then the Hive showed me - NO shower doors. Don't need that PITA. So I decided to have the tub refinished when the timing was right. I'm about halfway through with the bath remodel....... and now I'm finding out that the refinishing won't last. I'm SO BUMMED!!! :crying:

 

Sis, I remember YEARS ago I used to buy Suave coconut shampoo. LOVE the smell of coconut. One of my boys dumped the shampoo in the tub and was TOTALLY bummed but decided to go ahead and scrub the tub out with it. Why waste it? Where the shampoo had slowly leaked, there was a white streak going down the middle of the tub. :001_huh: I had tried every chemical to whiten it (it's really not bad, just kind of "dingy") but got excited when I saw that. I spread the shampoo all over the tub but it really didn't work as it didn't stay in place. Now that I think of it, maybe I'll try again but make a paste out of the shampoo and then leave it on. Maybe cornstarch or baking soda. It's worth a try!

 

I seriously don't know how we'd get our tub out. It's MUCH, much bigger than a clawfoot. I always wondered why there was a cut out in the floor of the room above the garage with stairs leading up to it. I'm *certain* it had to happen to get that HUGE tub into the bathroom. Our plumber, a friend, told us to NEVER get rid of it. SO BUMMED to hear about refinishing. :sad:

 

The white streak was likely not caused by the shampoo, it was probably a result of dripping water.

[5of5]

We had a bathtub redone professionally and it held up very well for several years. The only problem was that a kid dropped something hard once, and it chipped.

[Giraffe]

I had a pro come in and do a tub and it is still going strong after over 10 years and heavy use by my brother's family of 7, who now own the house. You just need to find a reputable professional, I think.