Anyone have their bathtub painted?

[Louis Brandt]

Hello,

When we built our house 36 years ago, we selected colored bathtubs (one gold and one blue). My wife wants to have them both repainted white.

Both of the tubs have held up perfectly. There are no chips, no rust, no
blemishes. The painting would be done by one of these “bathtub refinishers” who advertise in all cities, but that’s about all that I know about the companies.

We don’t know anyone who’s ever had this done, so we have no way of knowing whether the job is effective, whether the finish lasts, etc.
Have any of you had this done, and if so, was the result successful, and has the finish lasted?

Thanks,
Louis

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Louis,
Here's a couple of recent posts on the subject:

http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=116411&highlight=bathtub

http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=83837&highlight=bathtub

-Jeff :)

[keith ouellette]

I did my own in the old house with some 2 part epoxy. I did it in white. It was a self leveling epoxy so there were no brush marks and it held up real well and looked good. It didn't really seem to be as glossy as I would have liked.

After I had cleaned the old tub with some acid it shined brilliantly. Guess it had a light film of soap and after it was cleaned the industrial way it looked brand new but the wrong color.

The epoxy was a gloss but was not shinny. Best way I can explain it.

[Ben Franz]

I had a tub refinished during a bathroom job in my old house - IMO it wasn't worth it and I don't think I"d do it again. The epoxy based finish wasn't very durable and there were a few dust nibs in the surface. I remodeled both bathrooms for my next door neighbor and she had the tub and two sinks done at the same time. Their family includes two teenagers and the bath gets a lot of use. She's happy with the refinished fixtures so go figure. I think the quality of the refinisher is the most critical factor so checking a few references and maybe looking at a completed job or two is how to judge. Good luck.

[Pat Germain]

I'll repeat what I've written previously on this subject. I used to live in a neighborhood where the homes were built in the late 40's. They came with cast iron tubs which, in the early 90's, were completely shot. Some of my neighbors had their tubs resealed with epoxy paint. In most cases, the paint just peeled off within a year.

I called a local contractor and asked about having my tub resealed. He was very frank and told me it was a temporary solution. I think he did it as a sideline and he made a point to give his customers the real deal. At the time, a lot other contractors would really hype the resealing solution.

Based on the experience my neighbors had and what the contractor told me, I took a sledge hammer to my tub and replaced it. (It wasn't a classic claw foot or anything. It was just a run of the mill, built-in tub.)

[Joel Goodman]

+1 on a refinished tub not being comparable to a new one. My mom had a few old worn out cast iron tubs done and they looked better but certainly not like a new tub. I would pass on it.

[Lee Schierer]

My mother had her tub painted 4-5 years ago (maybe longer). They did a good job and it looked great. However she has a well with a fairly high iron content and the white "paint" has picked up an orange tint over time.