Revitalizing Your Old Bathtub
During this time of recession and falling home prices, there are things you can do to actually improve your home’s worth. Putting a fresh coat of paint on bathroom walls, repairing any flaws, and updating plumbing fixtures can bring your tired, old bathroom into the new century while costing you very little. Very little, that is, except for the bathtub. Even though bathtubs get scratched, chipped, and stained over the years, they are very expensive and difficult to remove and replace. That’s why many people choose a different method for revamping their tubs. They refinish their bathtubs instead of replacing them.
You can do the refinishing work yourself and save even more money, you just need the right materials and supplies. The fumes from the chemicals you use when refinishing a tub can be very hard on your respiratory system. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure the room you’re working in is well ventilated as well as wear an efficient face mask. If there are no windows in your bath, you should consider getting a respirator to protect your lungs. In addition to these things, you’ll need to have:
* Chemical bathtub cleansers to strip all residue from the tub
* A high-quality bathroom caulk
* Large sheets of paper (i.e. newspaper) or plastic to cover other things in the room
* Masking tape
* Acrylic paint spray gun
* A bonding agent for use on porcelain
* Either primer or epoxy paint
* EP-acrylic top coat
Start your bathtub makeover by removed all the caulking around the tub. Then apply the chemical cleanser to remove all residues from the surface. It is extremely critical that you get the surface completely clean so that your new surface coat will be able to form a strong bond.
Using your palm sander, you will next sand the entire surface of the tub creating an ideal surface that the new coat will adhere to completely. During the sanding phase, you can also remove any blemishes on your bathtub such as chips, nicks, and scratches. Although you may not be able to eradicate them completely you should eliminate them as much as possible. After all, the surface you create by sanding is going to have a big impact on your finished product.
After sanding, completely remove all substances from the tub’s surface. This includes your sanding dust and any water or chemicals you’ve used. Wear a mask while you’re cleaning so that you reduce the amount of dust you inhale. The surface must be totally clean and dry before you apply the primer and the acrylic for the final coat.
Now that the tub is ready, you need to cover up other things in the room that you don’t want to get the bathtub surfacing material on. Since you will be spraying it on, it could end up just about anywhere, so it’s best to take precautions before starting to work. Using the masking tape and paper or plastic sheeting cover the walls, the vanity and/or sink, the toilet, and anything else in the room. You can cover the floor with drop cloths or tarps. Only when you’ve finished covering everything will you be ready to go on with your project.
Your next step will be to apply the bonding agent to your porcelain surface using a clean rag. Allow the bonding agent to dry completely which will take around five minutes, before starting to prime the surfaces. Now it’s time to open the windows and wear your mask or respirator as you first apply the primer and then the acrylic polymer paint.
The primer will need to be mixed per the directions on the packaging. Using the spray gun, slowly and evenly spray a coat of primer all over the tub. It’s important that you paint slowly, but not so slowly that you stay in one place too long and have paint running down the sides of your tub. If you’re unaccustomed to using a spray gun, practice with it on something else first before taking a chance of creating a permanent disaster in your bathtub.
Let the primer dry, and then apply a second coat followed by three coats of acrylic polymer paint. In between each application you should allow 30 minutes of drying time in order to achieve the perfect surface.
Leave your tub to dry for 48 hours or longer if necessary. After it is completely dry, you need to replace the caulking you removed. Give the caulking a few days to set, and you’ll be able to start using your better-than-new bathtub again. Why is it better-than-new? Because you did the work yourself and now have something you can be very proud of.