American Bath & Kitchen Refinishers Inc
Bathtub Refinishing

For most projects the process is very straightforward. Because we have been doing this so long, we are quite comfortable giving you an estimate and scheduling service over the phone. Our sales department will review with you the basic steps, what you can do to prepare, and what to do when we are finished.

For preparation, we ask that you remove most personal item from the counter and bathtub. The reason is because we need to mask off the entire bathroom to ensure we do not get overspray on anything.

1. Regarding the chemicals we use, although they are strong, they are perfectly safe for use in your home. Our technicians are fully trained handling these products. The biggest issue is that the primer and topcoat do have an odor. Although strong, the odor is not harmful to pets, infants, or small children. To minimize the effects, we use a powerful exhaust fan to extract much of the odor. The remaining smell usually dissipates a few hours after we finish. Opening a bathroom window or turning on the bathroom fan will help.

STEP 1—We first clean the bathtub with an abrasive cleaner and a scrubber pad. After that we remove all caulking from tub, especially silicone materials.

STEP 2—There are two options we use for the next step:

a> If the porcelain is in overall good condition, we use a mild etch that consists of an alkaline/acidic solution. This acts as a bonding agent to allow the primer to adhere to the porcelain surface, without the use of strong chemicals.

b> If the porcelain looks like the bathtub at the bottom right, then a stronger solution is warranted. An etching solution containing Hydrofluoric Acid is applied with a large natural bristle paintbrush. The solution remains on the surface for 10 minutes to do its job of etching and preparing surface to accept a new coating.

STEP 3—The entire room is masked to keep spray off all unpainted areas. Chips and damaged areas are filled with fiberglass filler.

Note – Although we use special masking tape to protect your room, we cannot guarantee that removal of the tape may cause damage to the walls.

STEP 4—The surface is then sanded smooth and sprayed with two light coats of an epoxy primer.

STEP 5—A professional HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) spray system is used to apply a two-part acrylic polyurethane coating. The acrylic coating creates a very durable and glossy finish. The newly painted surfaces will be dry in four hours.

After we are done, we return the next day to remove the masking and recaulk. This takes about thirty minutes. The bathtub can then be used a few hours later, after the caulking has set up.