Do You Know What Is Involved In Bathtub Refinishing?

You may be surprised to know just how much impact remodeling you bathroom can have on the overall look of your home. You'll find that most of the updates you do can be very cost-effective. However, there is one potential eyesore in your bathroom that costs a lot of money to replace - your bathtub! Fortunately, there's a way you can resurface your old tub that provides a cheaper route to a new-looking bathtub.

Resurfacing a bathtub isn't difficult to do, but there are a number of precautions you need to take while doing the work. It's best if your bathroom has a window which can provide good ventilation. If it does, you might be able to get by with a face mask. However, you will need a respirator if your room doesn't have adequate ventilation. Protecting your respiratory system from harsh fumes is of utmost importance. Other items you will need include:

* An industrial strength bathtub cleaner which will completely strip all residue
from the tub.
* An electric palm sander and sandpapers of varying grits
* Caulking which is specially-formulated for bathrooms
* Paper, such as newspapers
* Masking tape
* Paint spray gun for acrylic paint
* A porcelain bonding agent
* Primer
* EP-acrylic top coat

There are several steps you will need to take to prep your bathroom as well as readying your tub for its new acrylic finish. You need to start by thoroughly cleaning your tub with industrial cleanser. The cleaner the surface, the better your new coatings will adhere to it. In addition, you will save on sandpaper because it won't clog up with soap scum.

Sanding the surfaces of the tub serves many purposes. The sanding will create a new surface which the coatings you apply will stick to more readily. You can also sand out many chips, scratches, and nicks that the years have caused. It's possible that some are so deep you won't be able to get rid of them completely, but whatever you do will be an improvement. You'll find that the better you sand, the better your finished product will look.

When you're done sanding, you need to thoroughly clean the entire tub again and allow it to dry. It's good to wear a mask while cleaning so that you won't inhale the sanding dust. Once the surfaces are clean and dry, you're ready to start applying your coatings.

While waiting for your tub to dry, it's time to prepare the room for spraying. Floors can be adequately protected by drop cloths and tarps. You will need to mask off everything else using masking tape and either newspapers or plastic. Taking these precautions prior to spraying will save you a lot of time and grief in the long run.

Now that everything has been prepped, it's time to apply a coating of the bonding agent with a clean cloth. This coat will need to dry about five minutes before you're ready to move on. Open the window and put on your mask. If you don't have a window, put on a respirator. You're ready to spray on your first coat of primer.

Mix the primer as per the directions on the label. Spray a thin, even coat on all tub surfaces. A slow, methodical spraying stroke is preferable, but don't make it so slow that you allow too much primer to amass in one place and cause dripping. If you have no experience using a paint sprayer, it's probably wise for you to practice on something else, like a large piece of cardboard, prior to actually attempting to spray your tub.

Let the first coat of primer dry completely before adding a second coat. When the primer has fully dried, you will add three coats of acrylic polymer paint, allowing for 30 minutes drying time between each coat.

After about 48 hours the paint will be dry and hard. Then you need to re-caulk around the tub and wait several days for the caulking to cure. Although all this waiting time may cause a little hassle in your life, when you relax in a luxurious bubble bath or take an invigorating shower in your "new" tub any efforts you've made will seem like no big deal.