Going Green: How to Reglaze an Acrylic Bathtub

An acrylic bathtub is something that can wear down over time. You will find that it can be very expensive to have to replace it every time a bathtub begins to wear down. A great way for you to make your acrylic bathtub look like new again is to simply reglaze it. This is something that you can do yourself with the proper tools and know how. You will find that having somebody do this for you is a viable option but is also something else that is going to end up costing you a lot of money over time.

Step 1 – What is it?

Basically, reglazing a bathtub is refinishing and resurfacing it. Whenever an old bathtub begins to get worn out, you will reglaze it and it will cause the surface to appear like new again. The new glaze finish that will be left on the surface of your tub will add years to its life and will also make it look like new again.

Step 2 – Methods

There are several different ways that you will be able to go about reglazing your bathtub. It is important to know all of the methods and their pros and cons so that you will know which one will work best for you.

Step 3 – Acid Solution

There is an acid solution that is used to etch your tub. After the acid solution has been applied, there is an epoxy primer as well as an acrylic top coat. The issue with this method is the fact that it will actually do a lot of harm to the surface overtime. This is especially true whenever hot water is turned on and hits the surface.

Step 4 – Chemical Bonding

Some will also use a chemical bonding agent that is basically a wipe on primer. This is something that is used in the place of an epoxy primer that is sprayed on. The pro to this method is the fact that it is very easy to apply and goes on much faster. However, the actual bond that is created is much weaker than your typical spray on epoxy primer. This method will only work for a couple of years.

Step 5 – Best System

You will find that the best system to get your bathtub reglazed is to use a very strong industrial cleaner to start off with. Once you have properly cleaned your bathtub, you are ready to prime it. You will prime your bathtub with an epoxy primer that is waterproof. You will also need to look for one that is not going to need any etching. Once you have applied this, you will need to put an aliphatic acrylic urethane on your bathtub. Make sure that what you use is something that is used especially for reglazing acrylic bathtubs. You will need make sure that you allow all of this to set in your tub for up to 24 hours before you attempt to use it.