Has anyone re-surfaced/ re-glazed a bathtub suround?

Question

After moving a nice doublewide manufactured home (1999) from seattle (no hard water) to tri-cities desert (lotsa hard water) after one year of tenants that may not have cleaned the tub surround, the tub went from an almond color to a reddish color.  Scrubbing does nothing for it. It does not appear to be mildew, just hard water?  This is a plastic tub, the surround is much worse than the tub.  We need to find an affordable fix. re-surface kit from homedepot?  Slide in new tub over? Obviously, its not the hilton.  Nor is it a ancient single wide.  My tenants go for "clean" not "fancy"  The other bathtub in the house has only slight discoloration, and is a soaker (bigger) tub.  Please no discouraging comments on it being a mf home, or moving homes.  I know my niche(to an extent!), and am learning stuff all the time.  :-)  Thanks for your help!  It is a rental, but we may sell via payments, or bank loan, which it does qualify for.

Drew Castleberry · Answer

The good ol' Tri Cities, my home town! Is the market still crazy out there?

I worked on a rehab probably about 10 years ago where we had a tub that was PURPLE! We had it reglazed and it only cost just about $100. Obviously the price will have gone up some since then, but I'm sure there are still contractors in the area that can do it at a reasonable cost. Needless to say, for me it was worth spending the extra money than having to deal with all the chemicals and prep work and it probably turned out better than I would have done it, and fast too.

Just curious, what's your niche? Do you specialize in purchasing MH at foreclosure/discount and moving them to property you currently own? Good luck!

Pat L. · Answer

We had a pink bath done 'professionally' ($475) in a SFR about 4 years ago & its breaking down as rings from the bottom of the cans or bottles she puts on the ledge.

I wish I had torn it out during the rehab but the wall tile was in great shape & very appealing & we had the usual time constraints.

Max T. · Answer

I've resurfaced an old cast iron clawfoot tub with the resurfacing kit from home depot. Make sure you cover all surrounding areas (floor, walls, vanity) with a dropcloth or plastic. I did that 3 years ago and it still looks good.

Just recently I resurfaced a shower pan. It is plastic/fiberglass. The original color was almond so I made it white to go with the rest of the renovations in the house. I just did that a few months ago and it is awesome.

Denise Southard · Answer

I would try Bar Keeper's Friend even though you said you already tried scrubbing it. Use a very lightly damp...not wet...wash cloth textured rag. A sponge or a brush won't rub the Bar Keeper's powder in and on like an old washcloth will. Having not seen it, it's hard to tell you what to do but having cleaned  houses for over 25 years, I've gotten a lot of stains and water marks out using Bar Keepers (it's the same thing as ZUD, if you find that instead). I removed hard water stains from a glass patio table where a plant had been watered for years with it and made glass shower doors look like new using Bar Keepers

Let me know if it works for you. Hope it will.

Michael Boyer · Answer

At my house, I used the Rust Oleum Tub and Tile refinishing kit on an old surround at my home (repeat on surround only, not tub itself, important). It has held up fine 3 years now.

A few key points.

1) this stuff is toxic and can hurt you or worse (be 100% sure you buy respirator and have fresh air blown in) and only do it in unoccupied unit. maybe worst (toxic) stuff I have worked with residentially... bugs were dropping dead by the window...

2) no it is not forever permanent--but what it is.

3) prep, prep, and more prep.

4) I would use it on a surround that gets some water splash--not where it gets constant water or submersed (like actual tub, need heavy duty stuff there).

5) follow all instructions and research well....

cheap (25-30 bucks + roller)--but a lot of prep labor. it would make the surround look nice enough for the sale and/or get you through a few tenancies on a shoestring until you or someone replaces it.

Aaron Reynolds · Answer

I have had BathCrest of Seattle do an epoxy like coating over tubs, shower pans and walls for me in the past.  Their work has always turned out great.  Might be worth seeing if there is someone in your area that does that type of work.

Don Meinke · Answer

Muractic acid!!!  The more pure the better.  Most big box store stuff is watered down.  The REAL stuff will smoke when you open the bottle,,,and burn your nose so bad you cant breathe.  You need an air breathing source to use it.  Even a homemade duct blowing into a clear face mask.  It will eat metal faster than you can blink so not if it has any,,,or dont let it touch.  A spray bottle to spray it on and a hose to rinse off in 15 minutes works best.  Ongoing if your water is that hard.

Check into and see what would make your water less staining.  Like a great softener and a reverse osmosis system maybe.  Surely there is a Culligan dealer close by,,,or others similiar

Bill Neves · Answer

We redid one recently that was badly stained like you describe. Bought 3 sheets of pebbled plastic at home depot. $100. Cut, glued and trimmed it out. Came out great.