Painting a Bathtub

Can I paint a bathtub?

Deborah from PA

Answers:

Painting a Bathtub

If you are looking to make a home improvement by repainting your bathtub to remove scratches, you should contact a business that refinishes bathtubs. We had a bathtub refinished in the second house that we owned and the person that we hired did an excellent job.

You are risking your health if you try to do it yourself. There is more to the job than just repainting the bathtub, there are a lot of chemicals that are used and there has to be adequate ventilation. (02/03/2009)

By Marjorie

Painting a Bathtub

I agree with MCW and to add a thought, make sure the person you hire is reputable! I once had a company come in to professionally paint a tub and there was a tiny leak from the tub faucet, so they put a balloon over the faucet to catch the water instead of waiting until the leak was fixed. Needless to say the tiny leak filled the balloon and spilled over on to the "not yet dry" paint and the entire tub had to be sanded after the leak was fixed and the whole painting process had to be redone. (02/03/2009)

By Deeli

Painting a Bathtub

I painted my 1950's pink bathtub with no need for harsh chemicals. I used a coat of Zinsser B-I-N primer and then painted with a high-gloss white. No need to sand, Zinsser sticks to anything!

http://www.zinsser.com/product_detail.asp?productid=10

MtM (02/04/2009)

By Michael

Painting a Bathtub

Please look up bathtub refinishers in your area. The kits that you can buy can possibly make your units worst, and in the end cost you much more than what you would have spent calling a refinishing company like mine.

A couple of facts to remember:

If you don't have a prepped, clean surface then your surface is going to peel. Porcelain tubs have to be etched. No primers are going to do it completely. Tub liners cost a lot more to install, but they have their problems. They use a thick glue that tends to over time have low spots, should water get in you will have a mushy mess under your toes. When the seals around the drain go then the water comes into the liner causing possible rust, mold, etc.

To get you tub refinished you are looking at about $275-$475. The process should take about 2-3 hours (depends on condition). It is worth having a longer warranty and piece of mind that it will be done correctly. We guarantee our work for three years. The tub maker normal warranty is 1 year. Look up your BBB and look under tub refinishing. In most cases your tub will be ready in 24 hours.

Ask yourself. Would I clean my new car with that? As a rule of thumb, you only want to use cleaners marked with the approval for acrylic use on your newly refinished surface. Any cleaner used with bleach will yellow and will damage the new or refinished product. (02/23/2009)

By Summer