# Bath Tub paint



## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

Good luck! This in not a home owner project, best left to the professional bath tub refinishers (IMO)


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## housepaintingny (Jul 25, 2009)

skearton said:


> Hows it going? I am trying to find an easy yet effective method to paint my bath tub. It appears that I can replace my tub, and wall pieces on my own for about $400... but like everyone, I am a cheapskate and I like to save as much money as possible. This is not my "forever" bathtub. I just need it to last 2-3 years. I have seen many guides, but I am looking for someone who has done this with success. what paint/products should I be looking for? approx cost?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Spencer


There are products and it depends what your tubs made out of, mid west chemicals has a good line of refinishing products, but you need a sprayer to spray on and a special heat lamp to instantly cure the finish


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

housepaintingny said:


> There are products and it depends what your tubs made out of, mid west chemicals has a good line of refinishing products, but you need a sprayer to spray on and a special heat lamp to instantly cure the finish


 
As I said, not a typical DIY project:no:
Do most home owners own a sprayer or special heat lamp??:laughing:


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## Snav (Aug 20, 2009)

I bought a tub refinishing kit from Lowes for $40.00. It came with gloves, two cans of spray-on tub refinish, tcp powder (cleaner) and steel wool. The paint is white, my tub is white and other than a few rust holes it's in decent condition. So, the paint worked great to give an even coat. However, the paint is dull - and my tub is glossy - so there are some spots which I missed and you can tell.

After prepping the tub with several rounds of tcp/steel wool/water rinse you are ready to apply the paint. The second coat needs to be done soon after the first - if you can't do it right away you have to wait several days for the initial coat to cure. . . so I'll hit the spots I missed later on.

For some touchup, yeah, works great.

However, I'd suggest to get a can of paint that you roll on instead of spray on - the spray is messy and it doesn't really seem to give a 'perk' over a roll-on version. I kept having to shine a light on the tub to see where I sprayed and where I didn't - it was hard to tell.

In the future I intend to replace my tub - so I didn't overlap the rim with surrounding durrock. Instead I fitted my durrock snug to the tub as a casing on the outside so I can then decoratively cover the rim and in the future just remove this lower tile and slide it out, replace without much headache.


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## housepaintingny (Jul 25, 2009)

Snav said:


> I bought a tub refinishing kit from Lowes for $40.00. It came with gloves, two cans of spray-on tub refinish, tcp powder (cleaner) and steel wool. The paint is white, my tub is white and other than a few rust holes it's in decent condition. So, the paint worked great to give an even coat. However, the paint is dull - and my tub is glossy - so there are some spots which I missed and you can tell.
> 
> After prepping the tub with several rounds of tcp/steel wool/water rinse you are ready to apply the paint. The second coat needs to be done soon after the first - if you can't do it right away you have to wait several days for the initial coat to cure. . . so I'll hit the spots I missed later on.
> 
> ...


Professional re finishers spend thousands on special equipment, uv lights and hvlp sprayers and lowes sells a refinishing kit for $40???


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## Snav (Aug 20, 2009)

housepaintingny said:


> Professional re finishers spend thousands on special equipment, uv lights and hvlp sprayers and lowes sells a refinishing kit for $40???


It is absolutely NOT professional grade. Maybe not even worth 40 bucks - it's uneven and it was finicky to apply to say the least.

But if you absolutely *need* to conceal scratches or, as is my case, rust spots - it's worth it 

I'll get a new tub in the future - this is just temporary.


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## jlintott (May 29, 2010)

*How I Painted My Tub*

Top Secret Coatings has a line of finishes you can find on the internet.

After one year, my refinished cast iron tub painting is still in good condition. Worth the trouble. It shows no wear (family of four)

STEP by STEP:

-Remove hardware, and drain trim
-dig out, and re-caulk with a good urethane caulking (no silicone please)
-Sand, and bondo any chip out, til fairly smooth
-rinse, and scrub with TSP/bleach, rinse well
-tape off, mask walls, and floor
-spray TS 664 etching primer
-lightly sand with 180/200grit till smooth
-check any caulked areas, and re-caulk as necessary til nice, and smooth
-spray TS2 Hard Shell 2-part Urethane (off white color)
-spray 2nd coat

You need 1 quart each of these two products for your tub
A cheap sprayer should work fine, and is the way to go; alternatively you can use a 2-2 1/2" china bristle brush if you remember to use the recommended reducer which will thin the product to brushing viscosity.

This 2 part urethane is quite durable.


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