Do I need to refinish my bathtub?

8 years ago

The bathtub in our condo second home (installed in 1995 when condo was built) has three chips in the white finish. My plumber advised me to have the tub "reglazed" because the chipped areas will rust. The chips are on the inside near the top and do not bother me visually. This guest bathroom will get little use; I imagine the tub will never be used and the shower inside the tub might get used 12 times a year.

Can I leave the chips as they are or do I need to protect the tub from deterioration by having it refinished? I read on a current thread that refinishing is not without its problems. (I am not going to remove it as I just had the bathroom tiled). Should I take care to dry the chipped areas after using to prevent rusting?

Thanks!!

Featured Answer

kats737

8 years ago

Is it chipped down to the metal? I would definitely not get it refinished, but I would see if you could find some way to at least patch or clear-coat the spots to prevent future water damage. What color is it?

We have an original porcelain tub (1928) and when we re-did our bathroom I thought long and hard about refinishing it. I ultimately decided to keep in original condition with it's beauty marks (a few light pits, some tiny black spots) and see how many more years it can go.

Anyway, I learned a lot about shining up a tub, and so much of it is tools/techniques/products they use for car body restoration. This article from SF Gate explains how to actually repair a chip yourself.

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Comments (10)

ekscrunchy
Original Author
8 years ago
It is chipped down to black so I suppose that is the metal. The largest chip is a little smaller than the size of a dime. The tub is white. When you say "water damage" do you mean rusting? What is the worst that would happen if I did nothing? A million thanks for the article which I will now read.
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kats737
8 years ago
So I suppose the worst that happens is the tub surface starts to rust which slowly eats a hole in the underlying metal. It gets worse and worse and spreads the rust throughout the metal surface. When the hole is actually all the way through the tub, water can get in and under the tub, eroding your substrate and causing mold.

How long does that take to happen? Not entirely sure. I saw a cast iron sink discarded in a state park that was probably there for 40 years (according to the age of other trash nearby) that still didn't have any visible holes, though it had a good amount of surface rust.
kudzu9
8 years ago
Put a thin layer of white silicone caulk over it, and don't worry about. Or get a small bottle of porcelain paint and coat it. If nothing bad has happened so far, I doubt that it would be a problem even left as is. Whatever you do, don't get it refinished.
ekscrunchy thanked kudzu9
daisychain Zn3b
8 years ago
There are little patch kits available online. I remember looking at them after we chipped ours. We never did get one b/c we had a house fire and the whole tub was replaced.
ekscrunchy thanked daisychain Zn3b
writersblock (9b/10a)
8 years ago
I've used the patch kits in the past and they didn't work very well. I don't know if they've changed in the past few years. Maybe they have. Sugru might also work.
ekscrunchy thanked writersblock (9b/10a)
kudzu9
8 years ago
The porcelain paint kits work fine if you clean the surface first. I used one on a chipped sink and it was still in good shape 15 years later. I suspect that Sugru would delaminate over time with exposure to water.
ekscrunchy thanked kudzu9
kats737
8 years ago
That SFGate article has a really great method on how to prep the surface, which should help with adhesion.
nicole___
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I tried the patch kit from Home Depot. The white color didn't match, not even close and it had a rubbery surface to it which peeled off immediately. I then took it down to metal, sanded it and applied enamel paint...purchased in the model car section at Hobby Lobby. It worked. Note: this was for a side patch, not in the tub where a person would bathe. It was also a fairly new tub.
kudzu9
8 years ago
The last time I used porcelain paint, it was available in several shades of white/bone, so you should be able to get a passable match if you opt for this approach.

Do I need to refinish my bathtub?

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Do I need to refinish my bathtub?

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