How Long Does Reglazing a Tub Last and How Does it Work

One of the most common questions people ask regarding bathtub refinishing is how long does reglazing a tub last and how does it work. No matter how old or dingy your bathtub is, you can always renovate it through reglazing. The question usually arises that how long before you feel the need to reglaze your bathtub again. There are few factors that have a role to play in the life of a reglazed bathtub. If you could get a professional to fix and re-glaze the bathtub to look anew, then you are looking at a possible ten-year relief from doing the job all over again. You could get the job done on any form of bathtub be it a cast-iron, or a steel one, or a fiberglass bathtub. You could even get your shower stalls reglazed. 

The points of concern for the whole reglazing job are the skill of the professional who is doing the job, the material he is using to get the job done, and the aftercare or maintenance for the re-glazed bathtub. These three factors are what is going to decide how long the reglazing of a bathtub will last. 

The material used for reglazing should typically include polyurethane or urethane and acrylic products. The ones consisting of epoxies or paints should be avoided as they are not effective at all and will start to peel in no time. The reglazing materials used industry wide and the professionals include strong acids and solvents which are quite toxic and require the regular to use protective clothing and a respirator. 

The reglazing is only recommended for old bathtubs that are made of robust materials and have more character to sustain the process of reglazing. 

How does it work?

The process of bathtub reglazing starts out with proper preparation of the floors and the walls so that the dirt on them doesn’t end up on the bathtub to ruin the reglazing. The professional doing the job will remove the caulking from around the tub. The walls will then be covered with newspaper or plastic to shield them from the spray. 

Most importantly, the bathtub is cleaned from all the dirt to ensure better bonding of the bonding agents. After cleaning it from the dirt, the bathtub is rinsed and dried before the actual reglazing procedure starts. 

The professional would then peel off the old glaze and will use sandpaper on the whole bathtub. After the cleaning, the bathtub would be applied with a primer and several finishing coats. The coating and sanding are done alternatively. Effective ventilation would have to be ensured in order to shield the worker from toxic fumes of the process. During this process, the holes and cracks in the bathtub will also be repaired. The whole job will take around 5 hours after which you will have a reglazed bathtub. 

After-maintenance 

In order to prolong the condition of the reglazed bathtub, the owner would have to take good care of it. With time, the bathtub is bound to appear with cracks and discoloration. However, when you are careful in the use of abrasive materials such as steel wool or bleach, then you can make sure that the reglazing lasts longer. In order to prevent the coating from damage, make sure you use bleach-free and non-abrasive materials for cleaning purposes. Last but not the least, if you have hired a professional to do the job of reglazing the bathtub then you would likely be satisfied with the job, and the reglazing would last about 5 to seven years. The next scenario is that you have hired a company, but they do not use the right material, then you would get unsatisfactory results, and it is likely that you will have to redo the job again. So make sure you hire incredible companies to do this job.