Renovating Your Bathroom Beautifully: How To Refinish An Antique Bathtub In 2021?

After this project, you’ll have earned that soak in your newly refinished claw-foot tub. Here’s how to give it a smooth new surface:

Materials And Tools:

• high-velocity, low-pressure sprayer and compressor
• bucket
• sponges
• paper towels
• exhaust fan
• plastic sheets
• paper-tape dispenser
• small paper cup
• 5-in-1 painter’s tool
• putty knife
• spreader
• stir stick
• 240-grit and 1,500-grit sandpaper
• scouring pads
• respirator
• rubber gloves
• safety glasses
• two-part cleanser
• two-part filler putty (auto-body putty)
• fine filler putty
• chemical adhesor
• base
• catalyst
• primer reducer
• paint thinner

Steps:

1. Set up an exhaust fan to vent toxic fumes to the outside.
2. Rough-clean and scrape the bathtub surface to remove bits of old gaskets and other materials, using the painter’s tool. Wipe away any debris with a sponge.
3. Wearing safety glasses and rubber gloves, clean the tub with part one of the two-part cleansing solution. Pour some of the part-one solutions into the tub and scrub thoroughly with 240-grit sandpaper. This removes any soap residue and grease.
4. Thoroughly clean and rinse the tub. Pour some of the step-two solutions into the tub and scour with scouring pads. This roughs the surface, allowing the new paint to adhere better. Clean the tub thoroughly, and dry with paper towels.
5. Wipe down the tub with a primer reducer and paper towels to remove any traces of the previous two chemicals.
6. Mix the two-part filler putty and fill in damaged areas around the drain opening, using a putty knife. Allow about 30 minutes for the putty to dry, and then come back and sand it smooth with fine-grit sandpaper.
7. Wipe away dust and clean the area with a paper towel and primer reducer. Repeat the putty process to fill in any other damaged areas.
8. Apply chemical adhesion to the tub surface. Mask off the tub exterior and other areas you don’t want to repaint.
9. Mix the three elements for the base coat (primer, catalyst, and reducer) in the sprayer. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions when mixing.
10. Connect the sprayer to the compressor and pressurize the system.
11. Wearing a respirator, take a few practice strokes with the sprayer, using a scrap piece of cardboard. Once you have the hang of it, apply the new finish to the tub.
12. Allow the first coat about 30 minutes to dry. While waiting, mix paint for the topcoat.
13. Apply the topcoat and allow it to dry. It will take about 48 hours for the paint to cure. After that time, come back with ultrafine 1,500-grit sandpaper and buff away any imperfections.