Hello, I was planning to have our cast-iron tub reglazed and was wondering if it works. I know one person who had it done and complained that they couldn't use comet on it any more, and that their white tub has yellow streaks in it. Any advice or recomendations? Thanks.
I once tried a two-part epoxy tub refinishing kit on a claw foot and the finish came out terribly. Not only did it look bad, but the paint began to blister peel off a short time after applying it even though I religiously followed the instructions on the back.
The house I own now had an claw foot tub that was refinished with epoxy when I moved in. The surface looked much nicer than the job I did, but it still peeled after only a short time.
I understand there is an electrostatic powder painting process that is supposed to work very well for this kind of thing. If I ever needed to do it again, I'd look into it.
The right way to fix it is to replace the tub. The paint will peel off sooner or later.
There are several ways of doing it. First and best is to really re-glaze it. Not cheap and not done in your home.
Second are the professional applications. Done right they are good. Not as good as the original but good.
Do it your self stuff varies from fair to very poor depending on what you get and how good a job you do.
Frankly I don't believe comet cleanser should every be used on bathroom fixtures. It will damage all of them. In fact that may have been the reason you want to refinish what you have. My personal choice is BonAmi YELLOW label (not gold). It will take a little more work, but the fixtures will last a lot longer.
We had a local columnist write about reglazing versus having tub liners made and installed. She inspected several examples of each in local homes, and was extremely impressed with how well custom tub liners fit and held up - so she ended up recommending people consider them, if they don't want to replace the tub.
Here's one source for them:
HellT
Exactly what I was going to say.
Bob
"snoopy snipped-for-privacy@excite.com" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@d34g2000cwd.googlegroups.com:
There's "reglazing" and "refinishing"(paint job),big difference in cost and effort.
I've read that the newer URETHANE refinishing (paint)jobs *done by professionals* stays white and glossy,but will not withstand items dropped in the tub or abrasive tub cleaners,including Soft Scrub.No anti-slip tub mats,either. They recommend 409 or Fantastic for cleaning. The review was in a local newspaper(not an advertisement) on remodelling,and said those refinished tubs hold up well for 5 years or longer,*if cared for properly*.
In my own personal experience,the epoxy-paint kits yellow and peel.
I use a tub reglazing outfit all the time for my remodel projects. I let me customers know that the finish is not as good as the regular porcelin and will have some roughness from the airborne particals when they spray it. It does save a lot of money as opposed to changing the tub. The big thing is the prep work. The company I use does a good job of preping the tub and tiles if doing those at the same time. It is sprayed on. I have yet to have any tub peel that this company has done. You can't use harsh abrasives. I have had about 6 tubs done a year and about 1 tile job a year done on my remodel jobs and once had a sink done. All have held up very well except for one job where the paint got chipped from being hit with very heavy steel shower curtain hooks. Had the company touch it up, they would not charge me for it. So I would say if you go this route you need to find someone who does a good job. Cost here is $350 for the company I use. To find this one I had asked around to mostly plumbers to get a name. Only ran into the bathfitter products twice and both customers hated it. One I removed and had the tub and tile reglazed. About half of my work is rental units. Good luck.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.