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Reglaze Bath Tub Tips

Simple Steps To Re-Glaze Your Bathtub

Christopher Smith

There’s nothing more relaxing than lying back in a tub full of warm water and soaking away your cares. However, if your bathtub has gotten so dirty, rusty, and all-around yucky that you no longer want to soak in it, it’s time to consider your options. You’ll find that one of the things you can do is to re-glaze your bathtub. By putting this new finish on your tub, you can make it look almost like new again.

You will need to take a few precautionary steps prior to starting the actual re-glazing work. First remove everything from the room that you can, including anything that is hanging on the walls. Cover the remaining fixtures with plastic, paper, or drop cloths, and secure them with masking tape. After all, you don’t want to end up accidentally spraying your cabinets, sink, toilet, or floors with glaze. Once you’ve completed this task, make sure the room is well ventilated so that the dust and fumes from the process won’t create breathing hazard.

In order to prepare your tub surfaces for the re-glazing, you will first need to remove all of the existing caulking. Once this is done you should clean all of the tub with an industrial-strength cleanser and then use a wash of hydrofluoric acid on it. Allow it to sit for a few minutes and rinse completely with cold water. Finish by using a vacuum to clean up any remaining dust or debris.

After you’ve finished cleaning the entire area thoroughly, you’ll want to apply body filler to any chips, cracks, or worn places. Allow it to dry and sand it smooth, removing any dust with a tack cloth. Then you’ll be ready to apply a coat of primer. Let the primer dry and spray on a coat of glaze. Since glaze is available in several different colors, you can choose the one you like best and something that will blend in with your décor. The glaze should dry for at least 48 hours before you re-caulk the edges to seal them. Let the caulking cure and you’ll be all ready to try out your tub, which now will look almost as good as new again.

Maybe you’re thinking that you’d rather not do the work yourself, and that’s fine. There are professionals who you can hire to take care of the job for you. Of course, hiring someone will cost more than doing the work on your own, but it may be well worth the added expense to have a job done that looks nice and will last for years.

If you have some talent and do-it-yourself skills, you should be able to re-glaze your own tub successfully. Assemble all of the materials you will need, take precautions to protect your health and stationary fixtures, and apply the coatings smoothly and evenly. Your results will amaze you, and you’ll save a lot of money doing the work on your own. If you still don’t feel confident about doing the job yourself, go ahead and hire a professional. After all, there’s nothing wrong with that!