DO –IT-YOURSELF BATHTUB REFINISHING KITS
I have heard many horror stories and received many frantic telephone calls from DI-Your-selfers who purchased a DIY Bathroom Refinishing kit at their local hard ware store and decided they were up to the doing the job themselves to save some money. All of these jobs went poorly and the Bathtubs were left in a terrible peeling or yellowing state. The end result being that they not only needed a professional to rescue them but the job ended up costing more because now the Bathtub had to be stripped of the coating they put on before .
THE PRO’S OF REFINISHING KITS:
To be honest, there are not many points in favour of DIY Bathtub Refinishing, minus the cheap price tag and the fact that you can complete the job yourself in around your own schedule. , if you’re wanting to do the job correctly (and I’m sure you do), it requires a high skill level that the average weekend handyman just doesn’t have.
THE CON’S OF REFINISHING KITS:
- In order to prepare the surface correctly, it needs be totally clean of all dirt, soap scum, caulking, calcium deposits, and any products that may have built up on the Bath Tubs surfaces from years of using hair and bathing products. The reason I mention this as a con is because it takes hours of scrubbing, using harsh cleaning chemicals, tools and scrubbers, using a straight edge razor, and a lot of patience to truly clean the surface properly.
- If you purchase a home with a Bathtub that has had a DYI refinishing job you will need to work with a very harsh paint stripper to strip all the finish off in order to clean the Bathtub of all the old paint.
- The use of harsh chemicals (such as Hydroflouric Acid compounds), fast-drying fibreglass body filler, various solvents and industrial-strength cleaning agents, and application of the Polyurethane topcoats and primers, provide a formidable opponent when the do-it-your -selfer is new to the game.
- If you were to tackle Bathtub Refinishing yourself, you would need to wear an appropriate breathing apparatus (full face respirator) – one that would allow you to breathe comfortably, as well as be able to move around easily. You should also wear goggles, and rubber gloves.
- You should be able to mix (and spray) urethane primer according to manufacturer’s recommendations.
- You should be able to correctly mix (and spray) the Polyurethane topcoats to supplier specs.
My advice is to hire professional Bath tub technicians such as those employed with Beautiful Baths who use a non-toxic product ,are highly skilled refinishers with many years of experience to get the job done correctly and they offer a factory standard 5 year warranty although, your Refinished Bath Tub should last you at least 10 years.