refinishing tub

[The Tipsy Butler]

Has anyone refinished an iron tub? We have an original clawfoot that really needs to be refinished. I have a kit, but before I jump in was wondering whether anyone had any hints / tips / advice.

 

[muirford]

We had a guy come in and do it - I looked at the kits but wasn't as keen on doing it myself. DH and I both have asthma and allergy issues. It cost $500, took 24 hours and looked great when it was done. Unfortunately the company was local out of Frederick, MD.
When we decided to do it, the old finish was peeling like paint from the floor of the tub. My housekeeper told me that the PO repainted it herself before - probably with one of those kits - so I am a little wary of those.

 

[EmptyNest]

We haven't but friends have. You must really be careful with the prep..or you will find it peeling off. They didn't do such a great job and theirs is peeling. But i would give it a shot.

 

[Sanctuary]

I did this many, many years ago. I had it done for me back then. Today, I'm brave enough to tackle almost anything except changing the packing in my underwater glands while the boat is in the water! That "indoor fountain of seawater" coming through a 2" hole in the bottom still scares me. LOL
I was very pleased with how my tub paint turned out. It was an old iron tub that was an odd shaped - 4' square with a 5' tub in it by putting the tub at an angle. Nothing new would fit in there and the old tub was yellow. I had it painted white and it looked great.
Folks that do this kind of work will be locals, rather than Home Depo or Lowes type subcontractors. Call a local plumber or two and ask for recommendations. They may know someone who does that. I can't remember how I found my guy. It was in Ohio almost 20 years ago.

 

[happyjacks]

Hubby reglazed one of our antique sinks with a kit (Klenks?). It turned out okay, but not perfectly smooth. Which is fine for the anitque-y-ness of it.
We had some of our clawfoot tubs reglazed by a pro and they look gorgeous. Will get more done hopefully this year after the leaves are done, or next spring. The pro is not cheap, but worth it.

 

[gillumhouse]

I had a company come in called Tub-Renu. It cost $300 plus tax in 1995. I had to have the whole inside of the tub done because there had been a drip and it was rusted around the drain. It has started to reappear a bit in the last year - considering this was the ONLY place to bathe (for guests) for our first 10 years that is not bad. They did not mess up my bathroom either.

 

[The Tipsy Butler]

Hmmmm - food for thought. There's also a stand alone shower in the bathroom so the bath doesn't get a vast amount of use. We too have the "drip stain". I don't think I have too much to lose if I try the kit first and make sure I spend maximum time and effort on the prep work. If it's a complete disaster I'll call in the pros and put it down to experience.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks All.

 

[user 26]

Hmmmm - food for thought. There's also a stand alone shower in the bathroom so the bath doesn't get a vast amount of use. We too have the "drip stain". I don't think I have too much to lose if I try the kit first and make sure I spend maximum time and effort on the prep work. If it's a complete disaster I'll call in the pros and put it down to experience.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks All..

i bought a kit just to touch up an old clawfoot tub and hoped to refinish the inside (painting the outside is another matter)
the touch ups did NOT come out good - they are highly visible, but at least the chips in the porcelain that revealed a brown almost rusted looking surface underneath are hidden. so i did not buy the kit to refinish. i can tell this is a project beyond me. by the way, the touchup alone had a very strong smell ... need lots of ventilation and though there is a vent and fan in the bath where the clawfoot is, there is no window. if i was staying here, i'd save up my pennies and have it professionally reglazed because they come with warranties and look so nice after.

 

[gillumhouse]

Hmmmm - food for thought. There's also a stand alone shower in the bathroom so the bath doesn't get a vast amount of use. We too have the "drip stain". I don't think I have too much to lose if I try the kit first and make sure I spend maximum time and effort on the prep work. If it's a complete disaster I'll call in the pros and put it down to experience.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks All..

As SS said, it came with a warranty. I have it somewhere.....
It did have a strong odor. He covered everything in the bathroom and if I remember correctly (do not bank one it) we left the window open and the door closed for a day, but it did not "drive us out of the house" with the odor. I will probably have him come back in the Spring to do it again and this time do the outside of the tub too. When we moved the claw-foot from the original bathroom to the new bathroom the wall side became the outside. It was a horrible black so the deconstructors sprayed it gold when they were spraying the chrome plumbing pieces gold (the price difference between chrome and brass for those caps that are on the floor at the base of the waterlines was something like triple! Gold rustoleum spray paint worked and still looks OK 2 years later).

 

[trishany]

Hi Tpsy - whatever you decide to do, go with that clawfoot tub. I wouldn't refinish it with a kit. Either get it professionally done or buy a new one. It's well worth the investment.
Our clawfoot is a very, very big draw to guests -- 90% of the guests use it (I know EVERY corner of that tub from cleaning it! lol) And make sure you feature it on your website.
And get that stainless steel shelf thingy that grips onto both sides of the tub. The one we got has a very sturdy loop for a wine glass, and a place for a candle. It's very nice.
And make sure you place jars of bath salts on any kind of table close to the tub.
I had to order a carton of bath salts (in a jar) from a supplier cause I was always out of them.

 

[inncogneeto]

I would have it done professionally, my cousin didn't find out hers was leaching lead until her 18 month old came up off the charts positive for lead at her check-up! Had to have it stripped and reglazed. Luckily, the baby was fine.

 

[trishany]

I would have it done professionally, my cousin didn't find out hers was leaching lead until her 18 month old came up off the charts positive for lead at her check-up! Had to have it stripped and reglazed. Luckily, the baby was fine..

Oh boy. thank goodness the baby was okay.
The lead in these old tubs was the reason I told Typsy to invest in a new one. If she opted for reglazing, EVENTUALLY, after many uses, the glaze will crack, and the "lead " would reappear.

 

[YellowSocks]

Thanks for bringing up this topic!
We have a tub that got chipped by contractor #2 while doing the tile. We've bought a kit but haven't tackled the project yet. Meanwhile we have this cool 4' square tub that we moved to the basement... it was already peeling some, but now (having moved it down two flights of stairs) most of the bottom has peeled off and generally the whole tub looks pretty awful.
I know five years ago it was $300 to do a clawfoot tub in Maryland, and I think it was worth it. I talked with one company at a home show at the state fairgrounds about it. Through asking around, I got the impression that $300 was the standard rate, and that not many people want to fuss with it.
=)
Kk.

 

[Samster]

I would definitely recommend taking it to a professional. We had 2 clawfoot tubs here & a pedestal tub. They had been refinished on site...the finish did not hold up & all of them needed refinishing. We sold the 5.5ft one (harder to find & had the brass ring) and have the pedestal in the garage. We hauled the 5ft tub to a guy across the river that has been doing this for years. He blasts it down & then repaints them, inside & out. It still looks great after 3 years.
Lots of folks like the old cast iron tubs vs the new fiberglass tubs. It is definitely a draw for some people when you live in a historic house.
My TX inn-mate & her husband had re-painted a couple of tubs & I think they used car paint? I'll find out more & get back to you.

 

[claymichael]

Bathtub refinishing is not the best project to Do it Yourself! A good refinishing job on a bathtub should be very glossy, smooth to the touch, and have a uniform appearance just like a new bathtub. You will never be able to duplicate the glossy finish and feel professional refinishing gives your bathtub, sink or countertops with a do-it-yourself bathtub refinishing kit!Ask yourself...Would you repaint your own car? Refinishing involves many of the same skills and materials used by professional auto body craftsmen. When you consider that 25% of all work performed by Miracle Method is redoing someone else’s attempt to refinish a bathtub, you should think twice before using a DIY bathtub refinishing kit on your bathtub. tub refinishing