How I Refinished Our Bathtub For Less Than $100
This was the most physically demanding DIY I’ve ever done. Now, I’m no athlete… but I was sore for weeks after. The painting portion of refinishing the tub is easy, but the prep work is no joke.
How Do You Prep Your Bathtub For Refinishing?
The first thing I did was start to remove the caulking from around the bathtub. This was disgusting and exhausting, but worth it. This stage took me two days. Once it was done, it was time to sand and deep clean. My bathtub didn’t have any damage so it was fairly easy to prep (other than the caulk removal). If your tiles are damaged or your bathtub is peeling, be sure to remove any loose materials and repair holes before you begin applying the refinishing formula.
I used our cleaning brush drill attachment, which made the whole process a lot easier. I cleaned with thieves household cleaner and smoothed any rough patches with #80 sandpaper and my orbital sander.
My Biggest Tip
Once the whole area was clean, smooth, and dry — I tapped everything off and set up everything I needed to keep the area well ventilated. I cannot reiterate this enough: PREPARE FOR THE SMELL. The refinishing kit is extremely smelly and lingers… Our bathroom doesn’t have any windows, so this was especially difficult. I wore a respirator mask the whole time and kept a fan in our bedroom window and one in the bathroom doorway.
One kit would have been enough if I was just refinishing the bathtub, but since I was also doing the tile surround, I ended up needing two kits. These kits were in SHORT supply at hardware stores, which meant I had to opt for a different brand. It worked out fine and matched perfectly, however, there were a ton of differences between the two brands: Rustoleum and Homex.
Which Kit Should I Use To Refinish My Bathtub?
Comparing Two Popular Tub Refinishing Kits
I originally bought the Rustoleum kit because it’s the one that has the most readily available information or testimonials. I like Rustoleum and they’ve never steered me wrong, so I ordered the kit online. Here’s my take on the pros and cons of each:
What Should I Use For Touch-Ups?
A really helpful thing (that I found by ACCIDENT) during this process was a Tub & Tile Refinishing Aersol Can — unfortunately it’s been discontinued. It’s essentially the same thing as the refinisher but in a spray paint. I wouldn’t do the whole bathtub in this, it is difficult to avoid runs, BUT it’s ideal for touchups or corners.
However, I saw this new Rustoleum touch-up kit for Tub & Tile: check it out here.