View Full Version : renovate clawfoot tub
johnnj2000
06-20-2006, 07:24 PM
Im in the process of tearing up my old bathroom on the second floor of my two family house. The home was built in like 1910 or so and has an old clawfot tub , its about 55" and Im sure that the faucet was changed at some point from its original. There are some spider cracks and a little bit chipping of the porcialin around the drain and in the seat where sit there is some signs of wear. on the outside there are a couple of layers of paint with which I intend to strip down , wire brush real good and prime n paint. My question is ,what is the best way to redo the porcelin? can I sand it down and reglaze it with that acrylic? that stuff you see in home depot? or is there a better way? or should I just find a pro? any info would be greatly appreciated. oh and just out of curiosity what do you think my tub is worth? what do people pay these days for a tub in this condition used?
jadnashua
06-20-2006, 08:33 PM
If you are willing and able to remove the thing (and spend the money), it can be refinished and look like new. This is not a paint job, but a new factory finish. Other than that, don't count on the paint refinishers to last for very long.
johnnj2000
06-21-2006, 05:02 PM
how much does something like that cost to have done professionally? would that be new refinished porcelin? I mean would they bake that surface like they didd in the old days? does anybady know who does that around here in the northern new jersey area ? or maybe a website?
jadnashua
06-21-2006, 05:37 PM
That is my understanding...they sandblast the thing, and put on a new finish. I saw it on one of the home shows, maybe This Old House. Search out the yellow pages, or try a web search. If you can't find someone close, the shipping would be prohibitavely expensive I think.
If the major portion of the finish is still good, then a professional should be able to repair the defects. If the entire tub needs to be refinished, it will be a major expenditure. They do not oven fire the new finish, that only works when the cast iron unit comes from the foundry and is still red hot.
finnegan
06-23-2006, 09:12 AM
They make epoxy paints for your purpose, but I doubt anyone will recommend them. You can have the tub professionally reporcelenized which will look good, but as someone else pointed out, the new finish will not be as durable as the original. You might want to consider refinishing the exterior and learning to view the interior wear as patina.