Bathtub Paint/refinishing?

[James R. Lunsford]

I did a search on Google and couldn't find any info less than a year old so...

I'm living in a rented house so replacement is not an option, but at some point in the past, the tub must have been painted because the other day the bathmat started sliding and pulling up large chunks of paint with it.

Now, in the center of the tub, and spreading outwards the paint is peeling and getting worse every day. If we owned this house we would probably just replace the tub but in this situation I'm looking for the most cost effective solution for repairing/repainting the tub?

TIA

[trader4]

"If we owned this house we would probably just replace the tub but in this situation I'm looking for the most cost effective solution for repairing/repainting the tub? "

The most cost effective solution would be to tell the landlord the paint is coming off and see if you can get him to have it professionally refinished.

[andynewhouse]

Our last apartment had the same deal with the bathroom sink - looked OK for about 3 months, then it started chipping. By the time we moved out a year and a half later, most of the sink's paint was gone. I'd definitely ask your landlord to redo it - shouldn't be your responsibility. He or she clearly just did something as a quick/cheap fix, and will probably do the same thing just before the apartment gets shown to potential new tenants. Unless there's a real problem with the finish underneath, or you're just bored and have always wanted to repaint a bathtub every other month, I'd let it chip - it shouldn't affect the performance of the tub. Just my 2 cents. Andy

[Joseph Meehan]

I agree with trader4. This is a job for the landlord.

I would guess someone used an over the counter paint on it and it failed. It is possible it was a professional job and that failed as well.

The solution now is to get all the "paint" removed and a near perfect cleaning job followed by a professional re-glazing or refinishing.

I would dump the mat.

[James R. Lunsford]

Good advice. I try to do what I can around here, good training for when the wife and I get our *own* house next year. I've done a few things around here before, and just deduct the cost for materials from the rent and send the LL the bill. If I *were* talking about my own home, is there a DIY solution?

[Frank Boettcher]

If it is a cast iron tub with a porcelain finish on it, I think it is a job for the pro's. The porcelain is very hard and quite difficult to get an anchor pattern on to get any standard paint to stick.

I once painted a range top that was porcelain over steel when a friend was remodeling. I spent several hours trying to rough up a pattern on that porcelain. hardly got anything. Finally gave up and sprayed it with dupont auto enamel. So far (several years)it is holding, but I don't have high nopes for the longevity.

If it is a fiberglass or acrylic tub, then you may have some options.