I had my old cast iron tub reglazed by Perma-Ceram. It lasted 20 years, with some peeling around the drain where the tub had a blue stain. I think it's a great idea. My only complaint was that it was a bit slippery on the bottom of the tub. Perhaps they have started making it non-slip -- I don't know. I was very happy with the result.

You have to be a little careful. Don't use harsh cleaners and don't drop anything heavy into it (like a wrench) or it will chip.

That good old tub was recently replaced with a new Kohler. The old tub was 63 years old.

Our reglazing experience has been a disaster. The tub started to peel after a short period of time. We regret not changing out the tub.
There was a thread some time back concerning this subject and very few people stated they had a good experience, most had poor experiences with reglazing. Sorry but I was unable to locate the thread for you.

Ceramics/enamels are fired at extremely high temperatures and are basically glass. Glass is used in industrial processes for containers that house some pretty noxious chemicals because it's inert and isn't affected by those chemicals. Which brings us to "reglazing" of tubs and sinks. True reglazing would involve sandblasting off the old enamel coating and refiring it in a kiln with a new coating. That's obviously not gonna happen in your home. So, to try to get a coating to stick to something that doesn't want to have anything stick to it, they sand it down and basically paint it with an epoxy enamel. Well, that still doesn't work that well to stick to most ceramic/enamel surfaces. And, it ruins the surface for any other option.

Most people who have their cast iron tubs "reglazed" are unhappy with the results. Much less the tile or a porcelain sink. The sink especially would be a bad idea to attempt.

It DOES work fairly well on acrylic tubs, simply because there are a lot of chemicals that will partially melt the acrylic and then allow the to coating to truly bond with it. (It's partially the same principal as joining PVC pipes. You "melt" them together chemically.)

We're one of the people who've had a good experience with reglazing (which, as pointed out, is really repainting).

We went with a local firm after checking their references. They did an excellent job with prep, which is the single most important thing in any paint job. This stuff is basically similar to auto paint, a high-gloss polyurethane complete with fumes (which dissipate pretty quickly).

We did this because the 1940's tub has intricate outside molding - and the flooring, complete with a 6" thick mortar bed, has cracked, worn-out cheapo porcelain tile beautifully cut to fit. To replace the tub would mean a $1700 flooring job (I got a quote from the flooring store that did my kitchen) for a floor measuring 5x9'.

It was worth $350 to turn a puke green tub into a nice neutral light beige. It is slippery on the bottom, so we use a non-skid mat. My MIL is careful with it - she had it in her old house, so she knows the drill - and everything's been just fine since 2003.

BTW, we use those suction-cup plastic handbars for safety's sake - with the cultured granite slab walls they grip quite nicely - and every once in a while, they loosen up and fall off into the tub. We hear a "CLUNK!" from the next room and always check the tub surface. No nicks yet, everything's fine.

The installers told us it's very easy to repaint the tub again, if we decide we want a different color or it peels off.

We had Perma Glaze refinish a 100 yr old pedestal sink. That was almost 10 years ago, and it still looks perfect.

Oops, I meant to insert before/after photos.

I'll have to check out Perma Glaze. That sink looks fabulous!

My tub was reglazed some years before I bought, so it's been at least 15 years or more. There is some chipping and I'm planning on redoing it, but given the size of my tub...it's what everyone now calls a "soaking tub" though the snark in me says, "Huh, isn't that what you're supposed to do in tubs?" reglazing will be preferable to replacing.

Done right, I definitely recommend it.

We used a company called Miracle Method which had a local franchise. It was done a little over 4 years ago and still looks like new. This is our only tub/shower, so it's used every day. We have no children.

Yes, you have to be careful: no harsh cleaners (we use Scrubbing Bubbles only), no hair dye, and no suction cup mats. We did have a texture nonskid piece applied to the bottom. I slipped and fell shaving my legs on our wedding day in a hotel bathroom (luckily I was not injured other than a bruised tailbone), so I am now extremely sensitive to making sure any tub I use is non-slip.

I've been thinking about this too, but I do have to dye my hair in the tub. Those of you who had it done using Perma-Ceram - can you use hair dye in the tub? I remember an old (years old) thread where other people were happy with Miracle Method. But no hair dye is very bad news for me; this is a one bath house!

Does anyone near Queens NY have a recommended reglazer?