My husband and I recently purchased a house and the bathtub is an olive green. We replaced the toilet to a nice white one. To save money I tried to paint the porcelain bathtub but the paint is peeling off. Does anyone know how to do the job right? Please help!
Destiny from Florida
I've just bought a major fixer-upper, & have been browsing home improvement books, websites, stores, etc for the past few months. doityourself.com or askthebuilder.com might have a specific answer. I'm no pro, but I would imagine you need a specific paint for porcelain, then you have to consider that the paint will need to withstand water & moderate traffic if you have 2 people each using it once daily.
Your best best is probably to get a refinishing kit. I have only seen them in white (at Lowes). I've heard that pro refinishers are only worth it if you're restoring an antique- cheaper to buy a new tub.
Krylon spray paint has some products that bond to things like plastic. Maybe they have a porcelain spray paint. I've seen porcelain paint mentioned when I was looking at tile how-to's, but I don't know how feasible it would be to brush-paint an entire tub and have it look good.
By Camille
Contact a professional tub refinisher.
I had a gold tub that we had refinished professionally, sometime ago, and I think it was less than $300. What an improvement! Remember, this is still a painted tub!
The down side is, they don't recommend using the spray on shower cleaners you see advertised!
The other alternative is to have the tub capped with a new tub and wall surround. This is much more expensive but will last the life of the house! (07/12/2005)
By Syd
Try www.homaxproducts.com. They have a product called Tough as Tile Tub and Tile spray Finish. I think some of the major home improvement stores carry it as well, I believe Menards in my area (Indiana) has it. I've used something like this before with good results in a rental property. Good luck! (07/12/2005)
By JoAnn
You should really look into having it painted professionally. Buying paint, and doign it yourself won't cut it, I promise you. The pros use a special expoxy based, porcelain paint. You can't buy this at lowes, or home depot. Look up a tub refinisher in your area and have it looked at. (10/24/2006)
By ron
I have a cast iron tub and I had it finished 15 yrs ago by a professional with epoxy and it lasted 5years, I then sanded the tub myself, primed with a good quality marine primer then put on 2 coats of marine hi-gloss enamel and that lasted 5 years mostly because shampoo bottles were droped on it and chipped the finish. I just refinished it again this summer with the same material and hope to get another 5-6 yrs. One tip you must etch the old finish with hydrochloric acid first, a warning be very carefull with this acid. (10/29/2006)
By Walter
That's right Camille, krylon does make a spray paint for indoor or out plastics because plastic is not easy to paint. but if you read the rest of the label on the krylon spray bottle it also says for ceramics/porcelain and a few others so that would most likely work out. I did it and I love it and it's only $2 a can at wal-mart. You can't get any cheaper than that! (02/23/2007)
By Wolla
They make a porcelain paint & it is an aersol. You must rough the surface of the tub,first. The spray paint seems to be self leveling also. (05/14/2007)
By NicolandCompy
I would say that you could easily paint a tub yourself with the right paint and preparations depending on the material your tub is made of. Professionals charge hideously high fees for this. A friend of mine does this and he often jokes about how he makes 385 dollars for 15 minutes work. (10/09/2007)
Try http://www.homaxproducts.com They have a product called Tough as Tile Tub got it Lowes tonight wish me luck I will be trying it out...I didn't see the spray at Lowes but this Co Homax has it for Tubs and sinks Our new revolutionary One Part Tough as Tile Epoxy Paint provides a hard, protective finish that remains beautiful for years.
Our One Part Epoxy Paint means no mixing, no mess, and a longer shelf life. Refinishing or re-coloring your tub or sink eliminates the time, hassle and expense of a complete bathroom remodel. Our self-leveling finish leaves a smooth high-gloss porcelain-like surface breathing new life into your old worn out tub or sink.
(10/16/2007)
By Mark
We repainted our bath tub this week, used 3 coats. Put on new shower doors, and it looks so nice. It was quite a job. The paint smell was incredibly strong. Good ventilation is a must. I bought the epoxy paint at Menards. The shower doors and tub paint was about $200. To remove the old tub and put in a new tub would have been lots of work and a lot more money. I am curious to know how our tub will look in a few years down the road.
By Hazel T.
I have an old house with a tub that was installed in the late thirties. The tube was brought in through the wall before. Replacing the tube was not an option. The color was an ugly yellow but in good shape. Searched around and bought the tube paint from Lowes. Followed the directions to a T. Paint started to peel within first 2 months. The problem area tends to be around the edges where the tube was sealed against the wall.
If you are going to go this route, plan on spending a lot of time preparing it and pay close attention to the area where the tube was sealed. Also, make sure you can ventilate the room and that you use an organic solvent repirator. This stuff will kill you. Am getting ready to do it again but this time I am going to use the pro stuff you have to order on line and will use an HPLV sprayer. (03/29/2008)
By David D
I had my bathtub painted white about a year ago, and it's holding up fine. It was 300 dollars. They use aircraft paint to do it, and you maintain it with regular turtle wax. It sets up hard and you can't tell the difference between it and porcelan. I just didn't want to replace my old tub with the cheap plastic ones they have nowadays. The guy even gave me a couple of glass jars of the paint, catalyist, and reducer to touch anything up if I chipped it, which hasn't happened- it's as durable as porcelan. (05/10/2008)
By Eric
You need a bonding agent also 80 grit sand paper plus a acetone clean before painting. also remove all caulk and grime. (05/15/2008)
By tcjbd25
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