Do You Really Want To Refinish A Clawfoot Bathtub Yourself?

Refinishing a clawfoot bathtub is a great way to add charm to any bathtub upgrade.

The use of special chemicals, paints, and a paint sprayer is needed to refinish a claw foot tub with a professional touch. You can complete these steps at home to complete this home project.This is a fairly complex project and should only be undertaken with care and a complete understanding of the jobs' complexity.

This is article is not meant to be a step-by-step guide, but rather to lay out the complexity of the job. Then it is your decision to undertake it. Be aware that the additional cost of a professional to fix a botched job and start from scratch is about an additional $350.

  1. Move the tub to a well ventilated area.
  2. Remove any piping or hardware and clean off any debris.
  3. Apply the Acid Etch cleaner.
  4. With protective gloves and goggles on, apply the cleaner at the top edges of the tub to run down the sides.
  5. With the scouring pad or 240 grit sandpaper, scrub in the Acid Etch cleaner.
  6. Once you have given the tub a good once over, rinse clean with water.
  7. With the tub still wet from rinsing, spray the de-greaser onto the tub, once the tub is covered with the de-greaser use a new scouring pad or piece of sandpaper to scrub the surface.
  8. Once the surface has been thoroughly scrubbed, rinse with water. Cover any areas not intended to be painted to prepare for the adherers.
  9. Spray a light coating of the adhesive to all surfaces that will be painted- this is a bonding agent for the paint.
  10. Allow the adhesive to set up according to the manufacturer's instructions, in most cases about 10 to 15 minutes.
  11. Prepare the primer in the paint sprayer. Some primers come in two parts requiring mixing. If so, mix well before pouring into the paint sprayer.
  12. In even strokes, paint the surface of the tub with the primer. Depending upon the type of primer needed, three coats of primer are applied. Between each coat, a wait time of 15 minutes is needed or for the paint to become tacky, then the next coat is applied.
  13. Clean the paint sprayer and pour in the finish paint. Make sure to wait 15 minutes for the primer to become tacky before applying the first coat of finish paint. Again, allowing 15 minutes between each coat, apply three to four thin layers of the finish paint. Allow the paint to completely dry.
  14. Dry times will vary according to humidity and a general outline of time needed should be present on the manufacturer's label. Once the tub is dry, install the refinished tub into the bathroom.

As you can see refinishing a clawfoot tub or any other is a complex task.

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