If you have read my previous post about our bathroom renovation, BUY THE NEW TUB should resonate with you. To catch you up to speed...we purchased our home in 2013, completely gutted our upstairs bathroom at the end of 2014, finished the renovation in the beginning of 2016. All of the walls were taken out, out with the old plaster walls, and hello new sheetrock walls. One of the things we left in the bathroom was the OLD CAST IRON TUB! Yes, the beautiful pink bathtub. I mean, "hey it was a hot trend back in the 60's"...unfortunately it doesn't pair well with my classic white farmhouse vibe I have going on.
If you are reading this thinking "I HAVE THAT SAME EXACT TUB"...sister keep reading, there is hope! I wanted to share this DIY with you all because I feel as though I read alot of bloggers and DIYer's who simply gut it, go buy an expensive new tub & think everyone can do the same. FRIENDS, not everyone is made of money, especially when you are a new homeowner at the age of 25-26. So keeping your old tub & refinishing is OKAY!!
I wanted to start this blog in the first place just to simply show DIY tricks that don't break the bank. Whether you have the bankroll or not, you don't need the most EXPENSIVE items to freshen up your space. If you love a $600 light fixture, you can either buy it or find something CLOSE and make it up yourself! (yes I did this, no it wasn't $600 light fixture but it was $160 and I made mine look just like it for $24...that is for another post).
Back to the tub....I had refinished the tub back in 2015 and it lasted for maybe 3 months. Slowly it started to chip and peel. If you have gone through this process with the same results...KEEP READING! I once again started to scraped all the chipping paint, sanded it all down, cheesecloth & this time SPRAYED it. (Talk about horrible fumes & over-spray...make sure you have a respirator mask on at ALL TIMES). The spray...it lasted longer but once again chipping and peeling.
I started to become frustrated with this never ending project. Talk about an eye sore. This time around I was going to do all the things, scrape, sand, cheesecloth, wash it down, dry it thoroughly, give it DAYS to dry. Then it was time to buy the refinishing kit and tackle it once again, 3x a charm right?
The Prep:
1.) Grab a paint scraper and go through your entire tub peeling up every spot that is loose...don't skip this step! Don't get lazy, even though I know how badly you want to... Don't do it!
2.) Grab a sanding block, I prefer a lower sand grade to roughen it up.
3.) Vacuum it all up.
4.) Cheesecloth the entire tub, this will get all the fine dust that you missed with the vacuum.
5.) Turn on bathtub and wash it all down.
6.) Wipe down, let it air dry. I let it sit for a day (overnight would be fine)
7.) Cheesecloth one more time if you are nervous about anything left over, but this step isn't required.
The Process:
OPEN WINDOWS, TURN ON CEILING FAN. PUT RESPIRATOR MASK ON. KEEP KIDS OUT OF BATHROOM WHILE APPLYING. You will understand WHY right when you open up the cans to mix! It is STINKY. POTENT. VENTILATION IS ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL.
Depending on the type of kit you are going with, this step will vary. The kit I used the 3rd time around is the one I am going to refer to (picture dropped below). You have 2 cans, marked Part A & Part B. You will mix both can up thoroughly BEFORE mixing together. THIS IS CRUCIAL. Products sit on shelves for a period of time, they settle. In order to have the products in the "condition" you need, they need to be mixed together before being mixed with another product. It won't set up, and you will be doing this ALL OVER AGAIN.
Once you have each can mixed up. You will slowly pour Part A into Part B can mixing as you pour it in. Mix thoroughly together...You are READY TO PAINT your tub! (Such a simple step)
Now the fun begins. Painting the tub. I use foam rollers, high quality LINT FREE foam rollers. I recommend a 4" and a 2". The 4" you will use for the majority of the tub, however the 2" is great for the top & corners.
You will start with the bottom and work your way UP, sides to the top. Make sure when you are rolling that you are going vertically and horizontally to AVOID roller lines. Once you have first coat on, go right back to the same bottom to top process for 2nd coat. Once 2nd coat is complete...LET IT SIT! You want it completely DRY before you go to apply 3rd coat.. WHY YOU MAY ASK...your roller on 3rd coat if not dry will start to peel it up!! (talk about a headache you don't want to deal with).
I left ceiling fan on...window wide open and shut bathroom door. The smell will trail. It does linger. But it won't last forever, ventilation is key. If you have some errands to run, now would be the time to run out and do the things. Let the house air out!
After 2 hours, if you need an additional coat now is the time to apply. Go through the same process bottom of tub and work your way up. You will keep re-applying as many coats as you need, but typically within 3-4 coats your tub is looking brand new!
(This is our tub after 2 coats, great coverage but definitely some spots need another application).
After process:
Now is the time to caulk around the top (tub surround or tile), sides (against wall) and bottom of tub (along floor). This gives it the "water barrier" finish. You don't want to go through all of this work and then have water damage form in the walls, floor and behind tub. When buying a caulk tube for your tub just make sure it states Tub & Tile (you want the waterproof kind, otherwise you will have MORE issues)
Once this is dry. YOU ARE DONE!! Enjoy your "NEW" tub & shower! The process although it doesn't seem strenuous, it is a process. Don't skip steps.
I think the first kit I purchased was either expired...or I didn't mix the products well enough. The Spray paint application, I think would have worked if I would have used more of the product/layers. But the over-spray and the fumes...I would stray away from this method, unless your bathroom is still gutted and you have plastic down. The kit that we purchased for the 3x around was from Menards, very affordable and enough product to cover tub with extra to spare. It was $23ish for the kit, you could purchase the spray paint version for $35ish, I believe, but I didn't want to go down that road again.
If you go through the refinishing process, I hope this helps & please share your results!!
That's all for now...
xo - KK
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