tubs are refinished with epoxy paint -- which, as I understand it, doesn't have the kind of ability to be tinted etc. as wall paints do. but perhaps someone with experience can respond. good luck!

Well, I'm new to this bathroom renovation stuff, being a first time homeowner who's never had to replace a tub before - but I thought replacing the tub generally meant you had to replace the tile surround also, because that would get damaged? And in this older house, most likely there would be some re-plumbing to be done. (At the very least it seems any fixture we've replaced has necessitated a replacement shutoff valve because the old one didn't work anymore). Not to mention that we don't have an access panel to the plumbing because someone patched the wall behind it. Is it possible to replace a tub and keep the tile intact? I worry about how if it's even possible to get a tub in through the fairly narrow doorway and maybe this is the same tub since the house was built in 1945! On the other hand...our tile definitely needs to be replaced, both from an aesthetic viewpoint and a functional one. The ones in the tub area aren't in bad shape but those same tiles go all around the bathroom and there are several cracks in them. My thought was that if I could get a reglazed tub to last five years, hopefully I'd have the money to rip everything out and re-do it by the time the tub reglazing was shot. But if it is possible to replace the tub without too much expense, I'd definitely consider doing that and waiting to replace the hideous tile! I'm a little leery of the home kits for reglazing. The pros use some pretty powerful chemicals to etch the old surface and get the new one to adhere. I suspect the home reglazing kits are more like painting your tub and would peel much more quickly.

>>I would actually be a little leary about reglazing....from what I've heard you will get one year max out of it before it starts peeling, and you have to use special cleaners to avoid damage. >> How about the experience of someone who had it done in 2003? As with ALL paint jobs, prep is everything. Check references and do your homework. This is smelly paint, a high gloss polyurethane similar to auto paint. They will block off everything with plastic and should remove window screens as well. They will leave you a touch-up kit - USE IT immediately if the surface gets nicked. Water going underneath the paint will lift it off. The most critical thing to remember is that ALL paint jobs, no matter what type of paint and what surface, needs a full 30 days to cure completely. You can use the tub after three days, but be gentle with it until those thirty days are up. People who don't pay attention to this are the second biggest reason for reglazing failure (first being not doing your homework and using bad installers). The tub bottom may be quite slippery afterwards - I neglected to ask if they had any non-slip texturing they could do for the bottom, but my 83-yr-old MIL who uses the tub, is accustomed to using a non-suction cup bathmat. She had the same reglazing done in her house on tub and shower, and 24 yrs after it was done, she sold the house and it was still in perfect shape. The paint formulations have changed since hers was done and I wasn't expecting it to last forever. We have suction cup safety bars (plastic) which we use on the solid surface shower surround. Every once in a while they pop off and fall into the tub, or we knock over a big bottle of shampoo when we're cleaning. They're fairly heavy for being plastic, but there has been no damage to the paint at all. The tub still looks perfect. Because of the high-gloss, cleaning is simple. You can't use abrasives, but you don't need to - a spraying with one of those soap scum removers and a swish of a sponge gets everything off and the tub is gleaming again. Smartest $350 we ever spent!

We had our tub reglazed just before Labor Day. The care directions said to wait 24 hours before using , DRY after using, not to use a bath matt with the suction (after awhile it "pulls" on the glaze or something). Recommended cleaning with Clorox Clean Up (spray) or Simple Green. I do dry it down after using, mostly the front end. Tile & around spigots & especially around the drain! I guess I did it backwards, I had the tub reglazed 1st then the new floor, toilet & vanity installed. Needless to say the contractor chipped the tub............He had the tub guy come out & fix the chips. I asked the guy about around the drain, it is peeling a little. I told him I try to keep it dry...... He said, yes, sometimes water pools there & gets under the drain & that is what happens. He touched that up for me too. I know every once in awhile our faucet drips water. Sooo, since I can't be home all day to check it I decided to put a little plastic tub over drain to catch any water that may drip out. I know it sounds wacky but I just want to see if it peels again. The other day when I was drying my hair I took the dryer over to the tub to dry around the drain but it didn't reach! I need an extension cord! WE have an old house, with the bathroom redone in the 1960's tile on the walls. I just couldn't afford a total remodel so left the tile & tub alone except for the reglazing............ All in all it still looks 100% better than before. It was a mess from all those years of scrubbing with cleanser, poor tub........