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amandacat
Citizen
Username: Amandacat
Post Number: 804
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 1, 2005 - 12:58 pm: | 
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I know this subject has been touched on before more than once, but the search function appears to be down so please indulge me this query:
Anyone here have their tub reglazed/refinished? If so, who did you use, and were you happy with the finished results?
We've just given our bathroom an (almost complete) facelift, everything new except the floor, toilet, and tub. Floor and toilet were put in by previous owners and are in good shape, but the original tub is dingy and stained, with some wearing off of the original finish, and it looks particularly bad to us now that everything else in there looks so new and good. |
Wendyn
Supporter
Username: Wendyn
Post Number: 1422
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 1, 2005 - 1:06 pm: |
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We just had this done last Monday so I can't speak to the resiliancy.
Our original cast iron tub was in terrible shape, flaking pieces of enamel all over. We had Mr. Ugly (look in www.yellowpages.com, he's in Fairfield) come and take the original finish off and re-enamel. Looks so new my tiles now look old and worn. Cost $350 to finish, plus $100 to take off the old finish. Well worth it to keep the great tub.
FYI...We were hoping to keep the kids in daycare that day to escape the fumes, but between the snow and my daughter's cold we kept them home. Wish we had sent them in (and hid the dogs) as the fumes were horrible for several hours. Cleared up by the evening though. So if I remember that you are expecting, I would plan on not being home during the procedure. |
local denizen
Citizen
Username: Local_denizen
Post Number: 45
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 1, 2005 - 5:25 pm: |
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We also used Mr Ugly, about 3 years ago. Looked good at first but it's not holding up so well. Chips, dings, stains etc.
Make sure your faucets don't leak and don't leave soap/shampoo bottles in contact with tub. |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 7781
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 1, 2005 - 6:04 pm: |
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Another alternative is Bath Fitter and a couple of other similar companies that install an acrylic liner over the existing tub. This is more expensive and you have to be comfortable with the look.
http://www.bathfitter.com/index.html |
amandacat
Citizen
Username: Amandacat
Post Number: 805
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 1, 2005 - 6:08 pm: |
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Hmm, I was hoping to get at least 5 years out of this, especially if it's going to cost almost $500. That said, replacing the tub is not an option at this point, now that we've already retiled the walls . . .
Anyone else out there who does this kind of work, besides Mr. Ugly?
And thanks Wendy for the tip about fumes, I'd definitely make plans to NOT be around when this reglazing thing goes down; if I want to get the little one high before he's even born I'll just go ahead and open a nice bottle of red. . . |
amandacat
Citizen
Username: Amandacat
Post Number: 806
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 1, 2005 - 6:26 pm: |
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Looks like we cross posted, Bobk. Thanks for the suggestion, but acrylic DEFINITELY won't work for us; we went with an old timey look in the bathroom - subway tile, beadboard wainscoting, furniture-style vanity - and want to keep the look of the original cast iron tub, just without the dinge. |
local denizen
Citizen
Username: Local_denizen
Post Number: 46
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 1, 2005 - 8:47 pm: |
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"Hmm, I was hoping to get at least 5 years out of this, especially if it's going to cost almost $500. That said, replacing the tub is not an option at this point, now that we've already retiled the walls . . . "
Well keep in mind that during my three years we had faucet drips, an infant/toddler with hard plastic toys, and a couple of dropped wrenches. I would not be surprised if others got much better longevity under more ideal conditions.
And if I recall correctly Mr Ugly has a 5 or 10 year guarantee, so I might be able to get some touchups done for for a reasonable fee.
Bob K, what's a ballpark figure for those acrylic liners? |
Morrisa da Silva
Citizen
Username: Mod
Post Number: 157
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 8:42 am: |
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I used Mr. Ugly about 7 years ago to refinish my tub. My experience was not good. The original job was botched (the tech allowed some dirt to get on the wet finish around the drain and when I pointed this out he just tried to overspray it.) Mr. Ugly was not very pleasant to deal with about getting someone out to fix it. He finally sent someone but they did a half a**ed job. In addition to that we experienced some peeling about 2 years into the job. I didn't bother to call based on my prior experience with Mr. Ugly's customer service.
I know a lot of people have used Mr. Ugly but I'm wondering if any have tried to get repairs or redoes within the warranty period.
I think the finish durability depends on how many layers they do and how well they prep the surface. We had looked into a company called R&R refinishing and they said they did multiple coats. We probably should have gone with them. I see ads in the News-Record for a company called Eastern Refinishing but don't know anything more.
Good luck |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 7784
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 8:56 am: |
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LD, I think somewhere beteen $1,000 to $2,000 depending on prep work and options.
This is just opinion, but I wouldn't hesitate to have a tub reglazed as long as it was in a guest bath or someother location where it didn't get a lot of use and abuse. I think Morrisa is correct in that prep and number of coats is the key to a good job, just like any paint project. My guess is that when you deal with a larger company with multiple crews the quality of work might not be the same between crews.
The latter is one of the reasons we Ks usually deal with trades where the owner is on the job site. |
brusin2
Citizen
Username: Brusin2
Post Number: 22
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 9:49 am: |
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Just wondering if there is a company that takes out your bath tub, sandblasts the old finish off and basically re-enamels it. Seems like a saw this on This Old House while they were re-doing a house in Massachusetts. |
Wendyn
Supporter
Username: Wendyn
Post Number: 1426
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 10:21 am: |
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brusin, that is basically what Mr. Ugly did except on site. I'm guessing if the bathroom were gutted they could remove the tub, but I'm pretty sure they do most of their work on site. |
Miss L Toe
Citizen
Username: Miss_l_toe
Post Number: 188
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, March 3, 2005 - 12:07 am: |
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I've just had my tub refinished by Premier Refinishing of Verona....Sal did a fantastic job and was very professional. Cost was $375 plus $45 to repair a large chip - same price no matter how many chips there are.
They have a showroom too:
http://www.premierrefinishing.com |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 7795
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 3, 2005 - 8:10 am: |
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Wendyn, the process mentioned for offsite use grinds the tub down to the cast iron and a new porclain surface is then installed.
The reglazing companies essentially pain the tub with an epoxy, a much different process. |
Wendyn
Supporter
Username: Wendyn
Post Number: 1428
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, March 3, 2005 - 8:59 am: |
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Bobk, I'm still confused but in any case I didn't have much of a choice as I'm not a fan of the acrylic liners and can't have the tub removed.
We'll see how it holds up with 2 kids on a daily basis... |
amandacat
Citizen
Username: Amandacat
Post Number: 808
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 3, 2005 - 5:23 pm: |
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Of course we only have one bathroom and I'm about to have my first little one with all the attendant plastic toys, etc, so I'm beginning to think maybe we should just leave the tub as is for the next few years, or until we decide to sell . . . |
sac
Supporter
Username: Sac
Post Number: 1873
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 4, 2005 - 6:52 am: |
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This may be an issue for us soon, also. Has anyone had this done a few years ago (or more than a few) and able to comment on the longevity of the results? |
Wendyn
Supporter
Username: Wendyn
Post Number: 1432
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Friday, March 4, 2005 - 8:22 am: |
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Amandacat, I am actually sorry we waited until after the kids came. Our tub was peeling and chiping and more than once I saw the kids say "what's this mommy?" and hold up a shred of enamal. God only knows if they ate any pieces. I feel much more comfortable now that there are no chips or cracks. |
Alyssa Fleisher
Citizen
Username: Afleisher
Post Number: 9
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Friday, March 4, 2005 - 11:33 am: |
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We also used Premier Refinishing. They did a good job. We did have, though, a minor rust problem after 2 weeks, but they came back to fix it and now we are very happy. |
kmk
Supporter
Username: Kmk
Post Number: 475
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 4, 2005 - 12:47 pm: |
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We had the epoxy type refinishing done in NYC.
All I can say is don't drop your razor if you shave in the tub and be absolutely sure that the spigot doesn't drip. The razor sliced right through the finish and the dripping faucet caused the finish to peel up from the chrome drain within 18 months.
My "baby" (she's 11 now!) could peel the finish off, like teflon, a year later. |
peteglider
Citizen
Username: Peteglider
Post Number: 962
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Friday, March 4, 2005 - 3:18 pm: |
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Can this type of finihs be used to refinish cultured marble (plastic) type materials found in bathrooms.
I have *acres* of brown -marble stuff on the walls around the tub (where a refinish material might be a good temporary fix). Also have this stuff as the sinks and counters - but those would be replaced.
Thx
/p |
kmk
Supporter
Username: Kmk
Post Number: 478
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 4, 2005 - 3:49 pm: |
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Just rip the stuff off of the walls! Don't throw good money away to "hide" junk.....
My husband and I used to improve our house - without spending money - by ripping out something ugly at least once a month. The cost to paint the walls (an temporarily hang a shower curtain around the tub) would be alot less money and you would be one step ahead on your road to home improvement! |
Debby
Citizen
Username: Debby
Post Number: 1699
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 4, 2005 - 4:19 pm: |
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We used Premier as well, and were very happy with the results. We moved two years later, so I can't really comment on the longevity. But for two years it looked really good. |
sac
Supporter
Username: Sac
Post Number: 1877
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 4, 2005 - 9:51 pm: |
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I'm just struck by the fact that I've never heard any good stories about these jobs lasting a long time (either on this thread or others on this topic), which gives me some pause. On any kind of home remodeling, at least in my house, I'll be lucky if a particular room gets done once in our lifetime. We certainly aren't going to repeat it anytime soon. |
amandacat
Citizen
Username: Amandacat
Post Number: 809
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 7, 2005 - 11:54 am: |
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Well, there's certainly lots to think about here, thanks for all your input. And if anyone who's gotten 4/5 years good use out of a refinished tub should stumble upon this thread, please post your experiences! In the meantime, I'll be investigating ways to de-stain my tub (it's not peeling/chipping so far that I've noticed, thank goodness) without springing for the reglaze just yet . . . |
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