My bathtub is peeling. What do I do?
January 7, 2022 5:56 AM Subscribe
My bathtub is peeling. I don't know who to call or what to do. Help!
My tub has just developed a couple of peeling spots (red squares in these pictures) and has had a pock mark for a year or two (yellow square in one image).
My house is about 100 years old and the tub might be that old, too. The tub is built in to the bathroom. The tub has a sort of gritty texture on the bottom, but smooth on the inner sides.
I've never dealt with tub issues before so don't even know what the problem is, how to think about fixing it, or who to call. What terms describe what is happening? Where should I start?
My tub has just developed a couple of peeling spots (red squares in these pictures) and has had a pock mark for a year or two (yellow square in one image).
My house is about 100 years old and the tub might be that old, too. The tub is built in to the bathroom. The tub has a sort of gritty texture on the bottom, but smooth on the inner sides.
I've never dealt with tub issues before so don't even know what the problem is, how to think about fixing it, or who to call. What terms describe what is happening? Where should I start?
This looks like your tub has been refinished, maybe more than once, and that layer is now peeling.
The refinishing was likely done to cover older wear/tear/damage. Your tub likely did not come with the sanded bottom, and that would have been added during refinishing.
You'd want to look for someone who can do bathtub refinishing. If you have a relationship with a plumber, they might be able to point you to someone, but in my experience most plumbers don't actually do that kind of work.
If you're up for some diy, they sell tub enamel repair/patch that lets you cover up the problems with a hard paint substance. They'll come with instructions for appropriate surface preparation. I've never had one come out looking nice, but it does stop water getting to the metal.
If the tub is indeed older, you probably have a lot of metal to work with and shouldn't need to be concerned about the integrity of the tub.
In my opinion, if the budget allows, I'd look for someone who can prep and refinish the whole tub. Ideally someone with good reviews, the materials used can make a mess if not done cleanly and properly. You'll get a fresh, consistent surface that should look pretty similar to a new tub.
posted by jellywerker at 6:14 AM on January 7, 2022
The refinishing was likely done to cover older wear/tear/damage. Your tub likely did not come with the sanded bottom, and that would have been added during refinishing.
You'd want to look for someone who can do bathtub refinishing. If you have a relationship with a plumber, they might be able to point you to someone, but in my experience most plumbers don't actually do that kind of work.
If you're up for some diy, they sell tub enamel repair/patch that lets you cover up the problems with a hard paint substance. They'll come with instructions for appropriate surface preparation. I've never had one come out looking nice, but it does stop water getting to the metal.
If the tub is indeed older, you probably have a lot of metal to work with and shouldn't need to be concerned about the integrity of the tub.
In my opinion, if the budget allows, I'd look for someone who can prep and refinish the whole tub. Ideally someone with good reviews, the materials used can make a mess if not done cleanly and properly. You'll get a fresh, consistent surface that should look pretty similar to a new tub.
posted by jellywerker at 6:14 AM on January 7, 2022
I dealt with this in my rental a little over a year ago and even made an Ask about it. I recommend getting someone who specializes in this. My super did the job, it necessitated me staying somewhere else for 24 hours because of the fumes, and it already needs to be redone.
posted by cakelite at 6:53 AM on January 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by cakelite at 6:53 AM on January 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
If it is cast iron, it can be removed, stripped, and have new enamel baked onto it. This would only make sense if you really really wanted to keep the original tub because it would cost thousands of dollars and a cast iron tub is so heavy. It would probably be an extremely nice surface, though.
We removed a 60’s-era cast iron tub and it was impossible to move intact. My son-in-law broke it up with a ten pound sledgehammer and it took hours of bashing. Impressively strong.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 7:16 AM on January 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
We removed a 60’s-era cast iron tub and it was impossible to move intact. My son-in-law broke it up with a ten pound sledgehammer and it took hours of bashing. Impressively strong.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 7:16 AM on January 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
This article describes your options pretty well. The alternative is replacing the tub with an acrylic or fiberglass one, but I think if you can get it re-enameled it's worth it.
posted by goingonit at 7:50 AM on January 7, 2022
posted by goingonit at 7:50 AM on January 7, 2022
I replaced a nearly 100 year old enameled cast iron tub with a new enameled cast iron tub and am very happy with it. After living with a fiberglass tub in a rental, I found I much prefer the old fashioned enamel over cast iron version. If you can't get it refinished for significantly less than it would cost to get a new one, I'd get a new one. If it's been poorly refinished a number of times, I'd scrap it as you'll likely have to deal with the legacy of previous layers disrupting the new finish.
posted by quince at 3:11 PM on January 7, 2022
posted by quince at 3:11 PM on January 7, 2022
I had a century-old clawfoot tub refinished a couple of years ago, and I'm very happy with the results so far. The bottom texture sounds like what I got--it sounds like a common option for offering a slip-resistant surface in the tub, and I like it. Done well, you can feel it, but it doesn't stand out visibly.
I'll note that I kept the tub in place, and had the refinisher just refinish the interior and the lip. The outside has been painted for many years. The process was straightforward, and not terribly disruptive, except that I couldn't use the tub for a day or so while the finish cured.
Cost was much, much lower than replacement in my case. If I had paid people to remove the old tub and put in a new one, total costs might have been triple or more. Doing just the inside did keep the cost and complexity down.
Downsides: the finish isn't supposed to last forever. I see estimates of a couple of decades, although I think it could vary depending on how much usage it gets and other environmental factors. With care and low to regular usage I think they could last longer. They do chip if something hard and heavy is dropped on them, something to keep in mind if you have rowdy kids, for example. I haven't seen the peeling that's showing in your photos.
If I were in your shoes, I'd invite a refinisher over for an assessment and estimate.
posted by gimonca at 7:09 AM on January 8, 2022
I'll note that I kept the tub in place, and had the refinisher just refinish the interior and the lip. The outside has been painted for many years. The process was straightforward, and not terribly disruptive, except that I couldn't use the tub for a day or so while the finish cured.
Cost was much, much lower than replacement in my case. If I had paid people to remove the old tub and put in a new one, total costs might have been triple or more. Doing just the inside did keep the cost and complexity down.
Downsides: the finish isn't supposed to last forever. I see estimates of a couple of decades, although I think it could vary depending on how much usage it gets and other environmental factors. With care and low to regular usage I think they could last longer. They do chip if something hard and heavy is dropped on them, something to keep in mind if you have rowdy kids, for example. I haven't seen the peeling that's showing in your photos.
If I were in your shoes, I'd invite a refinisher over for an assessment and estimate.
posted by gimonca at 7:09 AM on January 8, 2022
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From what I read "doing it right" typically involves removing the tub and taking it to a shop to have this done.
There are kits to do this in place available at the big box hardware stores, this is what was used on my tub. Could the workmanship have been poor? I certainly think so.
posted by rudd135 at 6:13 AM on January 7, 2022