How to Refinish a Bathtub

Refinish a bathtub easily and professionally with this step by step guide. It’s simpler than you can imagine. Professionals use a special paint to refinish the bathtub. This paint is readily available to the consumer. It’s known as EP acrylic enamel. With a little bit of know how, you can use it to re-finish your bathtub as a DYI project.

A few supplies will be needed.

EP acrylic enamel works best if sprayed on with a low pressure spray gun, but you may use a brush if that is all you have. A respirator or face mask is suggested to protect from fumes. Masking tape and paper will be needed to cover items not being painted.

Ask for chemicals to thoroughly clean the bathtub prior to the refinish job.

This will insure a strong bond for the paint. A sander and sandpaper will be needed for the refinish job as well. Paint products to refinish the bathtub include Epoxy primer, EP acrylic top coat and a bonding agent specially made for porcelain and tile.

Before you start, tape off all surrounding areas.

This is to protect them from the paint and chemicals. There’s nothing worse than completing a refinish job, then finding more has been refinished than intended. Bathtub refinish products are bonded to the surface and difficult to remove.

To refinish a bathtub, it must first be completely and thoroughly clean and dry.

Use chemical cleaners for this step. Wearing a respirator is recommended as these chemicals are quite strong. The refinish job will benefit from the chemicals being completely rinsed and dried from the bathtub before beginning the next steps.

Roughen bathtub surface using the sander.

A palm sander is suggested for the bathtub refinishing project. The vibration of this type of sander gives a more even surface. Use a vacuum to remove the dust from the sanding prior to the refinish job. A damp cloth will remove any fine residue not picked up by the vacuum.

Before the painting step, a bonding agent will be needed.

This will help the paint adhere to the bathtub. The bonding agent is a strong adhesive that can be applied to the bathtub with a paper towel or spray bottle. It needs to dry for at least 5 minutes prior to continuing with the refinish job.

Apply the primer.

Use two coats of primer with a 30 minute dry time between each coat. Be sure to test the paint gun prior to spraying the bathtub. Move the sprayer from side to side in sweeping motions for the best results. This will create a smooth, professional refinish on the bathtub.

The acrylic topcoat is applied the same way as the primer.

Most people find it best to release the trigger at the edge of the painted area and then depress again to sweep back in the other direction. Once again, dry for 30 minutes between applications. Two or three coats are recommended for the bathtub refinish job to look it’s best. The bathroom refinish will need a dry and set time of one to two days before the bathtub may be used.

Source:

Repair Home

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