Bathtub refinishing with epoxy paint
 

I'm remodeling a condo with a longtime client. He can do some of the work with my direction and especially can watch the laborers while I do elec. and plumbing. The bathtub has about 1/3 of the finish peeled away. Hard to say what it was originally. The surface under the finish is not a pleasant color, hard to imagine it was the original tub. The boundary tween the finish and peeled away zones is obvious, would show under a new finish. Not sure if sanding will work, as a feathered edge might peel up easily.

I used the 2 part Rust-oleum Tub and Tile Refinishing kit once on some tile I'd replaced on an old back splash a while back. The existing surface was old tile that had been painted over by one of the pro franchise outlets. My job was OK but there's was better.

On the current job, the owner got a quote from a franchise outfit for $1500. He didn't like it. He thinks we can do it for $500. I'm thinking more like $800. A day at least for a laborer to prep it, and that's if sanding will work. If it has to be removed with paint remover, if that would even work, more labor.

This crap could be dicey real easy. I've got an airless sprayer but I'm no magician with it.

Anybody done it?

I have refinished tubs before.

Sanding will work, but you have to really get the edges feathered. You also have to rough up the surface to get the epoxy to stick.

The trick is doing a few light coats of epoxy. If you glom it on it will peel off in a matter of months. Pay special attention to the holes in the tub for if you do not do a good job there it will start to peel from those areas.

It is about a day's worth of work from sanding, to washing it out with mineral spirits and running a tack cloth over it (very important to treat the tub as if it was a Rolls Royce getting a repaint) then doing the epoxy and letting it dry between coats.

The longer you let it cure before attaching the drains to it and putting water in it the better. It will never be as durable as the factory baked on finish, but it is livable.

Oh and do not use the sprayer. Use the special roller that comes with the kit.


Good luck!

Speaking of tubs, has anyone had one glazed? Mine is an old iron tub and I don't want to put a tub liner in it but would rather have it re-glazed. I have seen liners pop up around the drain.

If it's a clawfoot, much more approachable to taking it to some shop to have it done. The tub I'm looking at would be a nightmare to remove and replace.

That's some good feedback. I don't really want to use the sprayer. Damn things can spit out droplets now and then and cleaning it multiple times is something I wasn't looking forward to. The stuff is supposed to be somewhat self-leveling so I'm thinking a roller might work. May do some sample coats on some scrap sheet metal.

I did quite a bit of research on refinishing tubs and came to the conclusion that the end product just isn't up to par. This would be after spending a full day on it (which I have no desire to do).

I have an outfit that arrives with a kit that applies the coating hot and it's about 1/16" thick.

They offer a 7 year guarantee...........it will just about make it seven years in a tenant application.

The cost is reasonable..........$350.........and it takes him about three hours to mask, sand and spray it.

What's the name of the product? Is it a franchise?

I'm also thinking it would be tough to get a good and durable finish, especially since it'd be the first time doing it. At some point, I need to realize that I'm not going to be able to do every damn thing on a house. I've already ceded carpet laying to the specialists and this one is now in that category also, as my employer called today to tell me he found an outfit, another franchise chain, that will do the job for $500. I told him to take it as it would cost us about that much at least to do it ourselves.

Not sure what difference there his between the $500 product and the outfit that quoted $1500.

I couldn't get many details from the installer. I don't believe it's a franchise, but I'm sure the equipment is sold to many installers doing the same work.

If the guy he found is any good, or even if he's not, I'll report on the job and the franchise.

I saw this done on Ask This Old House. The guy used some kind of acid etchant to prime the surface. It was a dark liquid he poured on, then rinsed off. Then he used a HVLP sprayer. Here is the video and instructions:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,1631531,00.html

They used this guy:

Jack Donaruma
Donaruma Fiberglass & Porcelain Repair
P.O. Box 189
Hudson, MA 01749
800-641-9676

He probably doesn't go to Berkeley though!

I did some tile work in a kitchen remodel being run by a young guy who had been a full time painter for about 10 years. Guy had it down - sprayed some custom kitchen cabinets in place - very smooth, high quality finish.

A lot carpenters sorta look down their nose at painters, and some do seem a bit limited. But this guy went another route. Used his painting knowledge as the finishing touch on his overall remodeling business.

I wasn't familiar with HVLP sprayers so I did a search and got his primer (NPI) from Lowes:

Anyone who ever has admired the perfection of a paint job on a classic car or the high-gloss sheen of a lacquered cabinet knows that it's tough to beat a sprayed-on finish. For years, spray finishing was done only by pros with expensive equipment and large spray booths to contain the dangerous fumes. Not so anymore. With the advent of HVLP (high-volume, low-pressure) sprayers and systems, perfect finishes are within the average woodworker's reach. Lowe's is happy to provide this information as a service to you.

Unlike conventional spray guns, HVLP systems use a large volume of air at a low pressure to apply the finish (typically less than 10 pounds per square inch compared with the 80 to 90 pounds used by conventional spray guns). Using lower pressure causes significantly less "bounce-back," or overspray, an unwanted side effect of high-pressure systems. This means that an HVLP system will direct the finish where you want it—on the project.

Experts refer to how well a finish sprays on as transfer efficiency. The transfer efficiency of a conventional high-pressure spray gun is between 20% and 45%. With an HVLP system, it's between 65% and 90%. The higher the transfer efficiency, the less finish you'll need for your project—usually one-fourth to one-half of that of a high-pressure sprayer.

There are two ways to achieve the benefits of HVLP spraying. One is to purchase a system that includes a turbine (to generate high-volume, low-pressure air), a spray gun and a hose. If you already have a compressor, the other option is to buy a conversion gun. A set of chambers, or baffles, inside the conversion gun changes the incoming high pressure to a lower pressure at higher volume. Note that a conversion gun needs a powerful compressor (at least 3 horsepower, with a minimum 20-gallon tank) to operate properly. You also will require a filter between the gun and the tank to remove any oil or water present in the line. To further reduce the risk of contamination, set aside an air hose to be used only for spraying.

When selecting an HVLP system or a conversion gun, you will need to know the types of finishes you'll be spraying (now and in the future), as well as their viscosity. Finishes typically are grouped into three categories: thin (clear stains and sealers), thicker (thinned latex and oil-based paints), and thickest (unthinned latex and oil-based paints and fillers). The packaging should indicate which finishes a system or gun is capable of spraying.

HVLP systems traditionally are rated by the number of stages involved. The more stages, the more pressure is generated. One- and two-stage units are best for thin finishes. A three-stage turbine, however, can handle most stains, varnishes and water-based finishes, although latex may have to be thinned.

Originally published in Lowe's Wood Post magazine. Copyright (Fall 2003) SPC Custom Publishing.

I wonder if bed liner paint would work.:D

Chad, That an't a bad idea when you think about it. Its durable as all get out, and its textured, so no slipping. Somones going to read this post and open up and business. LOL

A good HVLP unit, with a high cfm (CUBIC FEET PER MINUTE) rating, will run about $1000 , new, or you can rent one. of course, you need to use a true two-stage epoxy (short pot life, highly toxic) paint, a dust free enviornment (on a construction site, not likely) and a lot of experience.

you're better off farming it out. (but you figured that out already.:D)