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A tub question:

post #1 of 10
6/20/11 at 2:43pm
Thread Starter 
kind of a spin off from the cleaning one. We have an older house that has been flipped. But after being here over a year we have found little things that they not really cut corners on, but too the cheap way out. And one of those things is our tub. It looks as if they just took some sort of paint and rolled it on with a roller to make it look new and clean, but now its chipping off in big chunks, and water is getting between the paint and the tub. I think it is a cast iron tub? but I'm not sure. It doesnt seem like the fiberglass tubs that you see now, it seems more...sturdy?
I am thinking we should just repair it, but I'm not 100% sure how! I am wanting to save up and get us a new tub in the future anyways, because this one is very shallow, and not that grand for long hot relaxing baths! So I want a soaking tub or a jacuzzi tub! But this tub is rather short, so I dont know how easy it will be to find one that fits, or if we will have to special order one.
So what can we do to fix the problem now? Is there a special paint or something we can use to repaint the tub? Or just remove all the paint that is currently on it? Hopefully someone has an idea because we are kind of dumbfounded. I have never heard of someone painting a tub...
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post #2 of 10
6/20/11 at 4:02pm
The tub in our apartment was painted. Of course they were paint crazy at that place, painting the hallway walls and the lobby and everything else like every 2 months or something crazy!

Anyway, it, too, chipped here and there, and it was smooth like a normal fiberglass tub on the ledge and walls, but rough on the bottom, not sure if it was supposed to be or not. Not like some baths in hotels have that gritty non-slip bottom, this seemed to be not on purpose. We didn't like it. I think they just did a cheap job to somehow try to make it look nicer. Looked terrible though.

I know there are companies that do bath tub refinishing, you might want to check into that, if it's not terribly expensive then it'd be worth it for the time being until you get your dream jacuzzi tub.
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post #3 of 10
6/21/11 at 7:42pm
My husband's roommate from before we got married painted the shower wall in the bathtub and it started coming off over time. It made the tub look awful dirty because he used white paint over an off white tub surround. The tub was off white too. But that was like a plastic material; so I'm not sure about with your tub.

I was thinking like Erica said above. I always see the ads for Bath Fitters and they look nice in the commercials. If they do free quotes it might be worth checking into. Sometimes when you get free quotes from places the person who comes drops a few nuggets of wisdom in your lap unknowingly. We've had that happen several times now since we bought our house and DH has been able to handle new things on his own.
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post #4 of 10
6/22/11 at 7:48pm
I have heard that there are companies that can refinish cast iron tubs.Might be listed in the yellow pages?
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post #5 of 10
6/23/11 at 8:45am
HA! I thought I was the only one this happened to! When my hubby and I bought our house we did not know the tub was painted. But over time (and after washing the dog in the tub) the paint started chipping. We just took a heat gun and a scraper and took all the paint off. They painted the tub because the bottom was a nasty black from all the scum that built up over time I guess. So we just got a long mat to cover the bottom of the tub until we can afford to redo the bathroom. There are companies that will come in and refinish your tub with an enamal type spray. There are things you can buy at HomeDepot too to do it yourself.....but I personally would not waste my time and money lol. Save up for the new tub!!
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post #6 of 10
6/24/11 at 12:56am
My mom had a sink refinished a few years ago by a company that used some type of enamel on it -- and it started chipping away again in less than a year. Before you put very much money into refinishing, you might want to weigh the cost of replacing it altogether.
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post #7 of 10
6/24/11 at 5:11am
When my in-laws were still living they had their bathtub redone and like the others the paint was chipping off pretty soon. They had a well so the water quality might have had something to do with it. Not sure if it was cast or fiberglass.

As I have that antique metal bathtub in the basement I want to remove the rust and seal it so i can take it outside and use for a water garden. I've gone to many paint stores and checked the websites and all recommend an epoxy paint ($$$) but I don't want a color which seems my only choice.
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post #8 of 10
6/24/11 at 5:18am
If you have a cast iron, claw foot tub, try to find a way to repair it....you won't be sorry. I would kill for one of those bathtubs for our bathroom in the basement. It doesn't really sound like that, though. If you have the money, I'd buy another tub, although it does sound like you'll have to special order one. You'd probably be better off to replace it.
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post #9 of 10
6/24/11 at 8:14am
Thread Starter 
I wish I had a claw foot, but sadly I dont. Its just an older regular tub. I had a claw foot in my bathroom at my dads and I loved that thing! Was perfect for hot baths!
I think we are going to be looking into getting a new tub, but not sure! Until this we will find a way to refinish it, or repaint it at least long enough to last us until we can get a new one!
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post #10 of 10
6/24/11 at 6:41pm
We always used appliance paint to touch up tubs in our rentals. It's a spray paint that's used for touching up stoves and refrigerators. It seemed to stay on pretty well. You'll have to scrape and sand a little where the old paint is bubbling up, but it should last you long enough to get a replacement. If it were a claw foot, it would be worth getting professionally refinished, but in this case I definitely wouldn't waste the money on it.
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