Bathtubs that are large enough to soak in are an important fixture in any bathroom. If your house has an old porcelain bathtub that is looking worse for wear, you may want to refinish it. Porcelain tub refinishing takes some patience, but it is well worth the effort if done properly. We have bathroom resurfacing kits available here at Copper Mechanical, or you can put the components together individually. Either way, when you finish, you’ll have a tub to relax in that looks just like new.
If you have a a porcelain tub you wish to replace, contact us and you may be able to trade in your existing porcelain tub for a discount on our bathtub models.
Things You Will Need
- Household cleaner
- Screwdriver
- Painter’s tape
- Rubber gloves
- Trisodium phosphate or phosphate-free substitute
- Scrub brush
- Fine-grit sandpaper
- Sanding block or palm sander
- Shop vacuum
- Tack cloth
- Plastic sheeting
- Acrylic primer
- Commercial-grade paint sprayer
- Scrap lumber
- Epoxy acrylic or acrylic polyurethane enamel paint
- Silicone caulking
- Caulk gun
- Clean the bathtub inside and out to remove any soap scum. Use any household cleaner for this step. Rinse the tub well and allow it to air dry.
- Put on rubber gloves. Scrub the entire surface of the tub with trisodium phosphate or a phosphate-free substitute. You can find these items at a store that sells paint. Trisodium phosphate, or TSP, helps degloss the original porcelain surface. Rinse the bathtub with clean water and allow it to dry.
- Remove the faucet handles and the drain spout if they are on the bathtub. Use a screwdriver to remove the handles. The tub spout should twist off by turning it counterclockwise. Place painter’s tape on the metal portion of the drain and any other metal plumbing fixtures that you cannot remove from the tub.
- Sand the entire surface of the porcelain bathtub with fine-grit sandpaper. Either sand by hand with a sanding block or use a palm sander. Remove all the dust with a shop vacuum cleaner. Wipe the bathtub’s surface with a tack cloth to remove any dust the vacuum missed.
- Cover all surfaces surrounding the bathtub with plastic sheeting. Tape edges of the sheeting with painter’s tape to keep paint off walls and flooring.
- Pour acrylic primer into the paint pot of a commercial-grade spray painter. If you don’t own one of these items, rent one at a home improvement store or rental center. They deliver a more consistent spray than a household-grade spray painter. Fasten the pot to the air compressor portion of the painter.
- Practice spraying the primer onto the surface of a piece of scrap lumber. Make horizontal passes with the paint gun. Release the trigger at the end of each pass to avoid over-spraying and drips.
- Spray the bathtub with a coat of primer. Allow the primer time to dry. In most cases, 30 minutes is sufficient, but humidity may require a longer drying time. Give the bathtub a second coat of primer and allow it to dry as well.
- Pour epoxy acrylic or acrylic polyurethane enamel paint into the paint pot. Coat the bathtub with a coat of paint. Let the paint dry. Give the bathtub a second and third coat of paint, allowing the paint to dry thoroughly between each coat.
- Allow the paint to cure at least 48 hours before reinstalling the plumbing fixtures. Replace the silicone caulking around the bathtub, if necessary, with a bead of new caulking to seal moisture out of the joints where walls or floor and the bathtub meet.
Tips
- If your tub has small nicks in the surface and you don’t want to repaint the entire tub, you can repair them with appliance repair paint. Dab the repair paint on the nick with the applicator in the bottle and feather the edges to blend with the surrounding surfaces. Allow the paint to dry.
Warnings
- Open windows and doors to allow adequate ventilation while you are using the spray painter.
- Wear a mask and protective eyewear as you use the spray gun.
Source: HomeGuides
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