Refinish Your Tub
I am currently in the midst of a bathroom renovation. It has been an ongoing project for about 6 months now, but we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and I can actually start to imagine a day when I don’t have to shower in the basement. Ahhh! Anyway, the last step we took was to have the bathtub refinished. Our bathroom is small enough that there was nothing we could really do with regards to layout, so since the tub was going to stay in the same place and remain about the same size, I decided to look into the prospect of refinishing. Basically, the argument for refinishing is to save money, keep a perfectly good old tub out of a landfill, as well as prevent yourself from having to tear out a tub and haul it out of your house. Tubs are big and heavy so it could not only be a big job, but if you have to hire someone – it certainly isn’t going to be free.
I made some calls and did some research, and it seems like the going rate in KC is about $350 for tub refinishing. They basically just spray on a new coating that is guaranteed for 5 years, but can last up to 15+ years. Perhaps you are thinking of a big old clawfoot cast iron tub, but they can refinish any other kind of tub or sink too. The photo at left is of my bathtub newly refinished, and it is just an old ceramic tub (i think). According to Nulook Custom Finishes, they can perform the refinishing process on just about any surface, even countertops.
I’ll let you know how I like it once I actually start showering in my bathroom, or if we ever run into any problems, but I’m pretty sure it going to be great. Also, for those sellers out there with a dingy old tub or sink, I would urge you to look into this process – it can really make things look like new and we all know that is what the buyers want!
Hi,
How did your tub reglazing work?
We are considering doing the same thing and would be very interested to hear how yours turned out.
Would you recommend the company that did yours?
Many thanks,
Jo Z.
I’m happy with it. It looks nice and cleans easy. We chose to go that route during remodeling because the tub was not something that could change size or location. It just seemed wasteful to throw away a perfectly good tub, but with it looking a bit worn out refinishing was a great option. The company did a good job – here is the website: http://www.nulookfinishes.net/index.html
We used AA Bathtub Tile & Countertop Reglazing and they were great! http://tubtileandcountertop.com
I changed the domain name so the website for bathtub reglazing is http://www.kcbathtub.com/
Hi,
I ran across your K.C.Real Estate blog while looking for info. on tub refinishing.I am working on a project for a lady that is getting ready to put her house on the market and
wants to update her kitch & bath prior to listing. I thought re-finishing her tub made more sense than replacing it. I think this info/photo will help her decide.
Also, I have been doing quite a bit of work for people either selling or buying homes in the area – lately. If you or any of you your customers would like a bid on any projects –
please contact me -Charlie – cam1553@gmail.com or 913-208-9615. I have over 30
years experience in remodeling and new home construction in the K.C. area… Thanks
I, too, found your article during an online search for sink refinishing. I was wondering how your tub has held up, since it’s been 5 years now. I would also be interested to know how Anne McDonald’s is holding up.
Many thanks for the information!
Hello. I own and operate KC Tub and Counters LLC in the KC area.
I personally have refinished over 3000 (yes that’s thousand) bathtubs and showers in the KC area in the last 4 years. The main reason is the price. Since this is a niche industry sometimes the bids are too high, IMHO. Our max price on residential bathtubs is only $300 just to give you an idea. Let me know if I can help.
John 816.536.0681
Hello. I own and operate KC Tub and Counters LLC in the KC area.
I personally have refinished over 3000 (yes that’s thousand) bathtubs and showers in the KC area in the last 4 years. The main reason is the price. Since this is a niche industry sometimes the bids are too high, IMHO. Our max price on residential bathtubs is only $300 just to give you an idea. Let me know if I can help.
John 816.536.0681
John,
I am going to give you a call. We refinished our tub several years ago, but it has begun peeling off. I need to know what we can do to make it nice again and I thought I would contact you since you posted on my blog. -Sarah
The bathtub that All America Fine Finishes did over a year ago for us is just as nice and shiny as the day they did it. Really great company! And the price was only $299 with a 10 year warranty.
Hello Sarah – I wanted to see how your bathtub refinish is holding up. I also live in Brookside in Armour Hills with my wife and 20 month old son. We are remodeling our bathroom and also wanting to have our bathtub refinished. Are you still happy with it and do you still recommend who did the work? Thanks in advance!
Jerry,
I have mixed feelings on it. I’m not sure what happened, but within a year or two of having it refinished we had a spot bubble and peel. I’m not sure if it is an anomaly or if that is common. It is higher up on the tub wall so it isn’t growing, but it doesn’t look great either. As I said, I’m not sure if they generally have problems, or if I caused it. If I caused it, the only idea I have is that my dog’s nails damaged it when we bathed him in the tub. I believe the tub refinishing came with a warranty, but I didn’t investigate it which I regret because I may have been able to get it fixed. Otherwise, the remainder of the finish is holding up nicely. If I had it to do all over again, I would have just replaced the tub when we remodeled the bathroom. This is the company we used: http://nulookfinishes.net/
Very helpful comments since we are facing a similar decision to replace or reglaze the tub in our small bathroom. I’m leaning towards a tear out and replacement because a re-glaze might disappoint in a short time.
Susan,
Glad you found this helpful. If I had it to do over again, I would tear out and replace. However, we were doing a full bath remodel; a re-finish is still a good option for someone who just wants to freshen up a few things on a budget.
When doing my research in the Kansas City Area I found your blog very helpful. I googled “best kansas city refinishers” and contacted this company http://bestkansascityrefinishing.com they were very professional and took care of it that same day.
Thanks Sarah