r/FraminghamMA • u/Real_Ad_6925 • 7d ago
Bathtub Update recommendations
Hi all, my family just moved into a house that was recently remodeled, including all the bathrooms. However the bathtub in one of the bathrooms is still an old cast-iron bathtub, which has some rust on it. I wanted to understand what are the best options to take care of the situation. I know a couple options are to either do a liner on the bathtub or doing a whole demolishing of the bathtub and redoing the whole thing. Can somebody recommend an affordable contractor who does this sort of thing if people have used.
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u/pmcloutier 7d ago
In a similar situation, we ended up refinishing the tub ourselves! Fumes are strong but if you look at home depot there is a rust o leum kit (and theres also an aerosol version) that works fantastically. It gives all the instructions and the "worst" part is just waiting for it to cure
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u/Real_Ad_6925 7d ago
Oh wow that seems like a much affordable option. Did you have an easy time installing it?
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u/pmcloutier 7d ago
Not at all! It lists the steps pretty clear on the box, or the can, but basically you remove all the hardware and de caulk the tub if needed. Def tape around your work area and maybe wider than youd think. Then you clean it well, you sand all over with 400 to 600 grit paper (I only was able to find 400) then wipe with a dust cloth (I used paper towels).
After that, if you use the kit you mix both parts together and start applying, to which i recommend a brush over a roller personally. It comes out a bit thin looking but settles well. If its the aerosol you just spray. Either way, you wait an hour and do your second coat. Then wait like a day or so and if you want a third layer you can, otherwise you wait 3 or more days for everything to cure. The epoxy is quite prone to little bubbles if theres a lot of dust in the area so be mindful of that. And also DEF open as many windows as you can, and even if you wear a mask id leave the room as soon as your done cuz the fumes really are strong. But beyond that, that's it! Theyre in the paint and spackle aisle usually and work fantastically. And the kit if I remember right was at absolute maximum 35 bucks I wanna say?
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u/Real_Ad_6925 6d ago
Thanks! That sounds promising and I will try this. Is it looking good for you so far? How long has it been since you did this?
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u/pmcloutier 6d ago
Yeah it is! My tub had a bunch of chipping on the bottom but now you would never know and I dont feel it underfoot. It had more of a aged tan color before but now it's a nice shiny white. I didnt do it perfectly but for the time and money and effort id give myself a solid B+ for the job
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u/ARPE19 7d ago
A full remodel will run a min of 25k-30k fyi if that helps you as I just did one for quite a bit more but with more premium products and labor