Reglaze or Replace an Old Bathtub?
Saturday, March 29th, 2008
The question of reglazing bathroom fixtures often arises in homeowner forums and inevitably the answers are varied. Eight years ago, as we removed the 1950′s plastic tile from our Craftsman-era bathroom, we contemplated reglazing vs. replacing the bathtub.
Our decision to reglaze was pretty easy and for us, it’s been the right choice. We’ve since enjoyed years of luxurious soaks in a glorious tub.
Our old tub is a 5-ft. cast iron clawfoot that’s original to our 1917 American Foursquare home. It’s finish was worn but passable, save the pink non-skid flowers previous owners had stuck to the bottom. Over time the flowers began to peel and left behind an unsightly adhesive.
Have you ever submerged yourself in a clawfoot? Such a tub is pre-water-restriction era and to slip into its steaming bath, scented with a splash of essential oil, is truly nirvana. Needless to say, pink flowers or not, we did not want to give up this tub.
We called John Harrison of Cream City Tub & Tile. He promised reglazing would indeed bring new life to our tub, but I also remember him advising us that reglazing does have limitations. The acrylic finish he suggested came with a 5-yr. warranty and helpful instructions for care and cleaning.
Being a clawfoot, we could easily take the tub out of the bathroom for off-site refinishing. OK, maybe not easily…it was pretty heavy and we had to manuever it down the stairs. But taking it out of the house was advantagious. My husband sand and water-blasted away the old finish, thus saving us some costs. We also didn’t have to breathe the fumes as it was reglazed and cured.
The disadvantage? We had to transport the tub back home and get it up the stairs without killing each other or marring the finish. Somehow, we managed.
For us, the reglaze has worked well for several reasons. Cream City Tub & Tile are reputable specialists and did a top quality job. We care for the tub according to instructions. Because it’s not in our primary bathroom, the tub’s use is limited. And finally, our four children are grown and no longer at home.
Eight years later, what do we think? We love it. We plan to continue luxurious soaks for years to come.