We are asked a lot by homeowners what exactly to expect on the day we refinish the fixture in their homes. A lot depends on the exact service they choose and the fixture they want us to refinish. Most homeowners ask us to refinish a standard 5-foot bathtub. Our standard coating is the tried-and-true solution that works for every bathtub and delivers consistently fantastic results, which are detailed below. Prior to our arrival, please remove all items not stored in cabinets from the bathroom.
This includes items around the toilet, items on the counter, and bottles stored in the tub. We will be masking your toilet and vanity area with plastic, so the cleaner this area is, the better we can mask it off. Please also vacuum the bathroom as best you can. We will temporarily turn your bathroom into a paint booth, so the cleaner and dust free the bathroom is, the better the results will be.
Prepping the Bathtub
Upon our arrival, we will start prepping the bathtub. This is a lengthy process. We don’t skip steps. If your bathtub has previously been refinished, we will have to remove the old coating. We use a special system to do this that minimizes dust. This same system is used when sanding fiberglass and plastics. Please be advised that there may be a small percentage of dust that can escape into your home. This can be easily wiped off with a damp rag.
Cleaning the Tub
After any existing coatings are removed, we will thoroughly clean the tub and wet sand it to make sure there is no soap scum. Porcelain tubs, we will then treat them with a chemical called etch. The purpose of etching is to degloss the porcelain to accept the new glaze. We then thoroughly rinse the tub clean. Next, we fix any repairs needed, such as cracks, rust, chips, etc.
Masking the Area
At this time, we will begin masking the work area and carefully covering everything in the bathroom to prevent overspray and protect your other fixtures from settling of coating dust. We will set up our equipment just outside the bathroom, including the exhaust system if it has not already been set up, which pulls 1200 CFM from the bathroom and sends it outdoors, and the sprayer. The entire prepping time takes about 3 hours if there is no stripping that needs to be done. If we remove an existing coating, it will take an hour to two hours extra.
Mix the Coatings
Prior to spraying the coating, we will use a tack cloth on the tub to remove any remaining dust particles. At this time, we will mix the coatings, typically outside your home and give you notice that we will begin work. We go to every effort to minimize the impact on you. We’ll position the exhaust system downwind when possible.
Spraying Process
The spraying process generally takes about 45 minutes to an hour. After we are done, we will start packing up our equipment, except for the exhaust system, which we leave running for another 30 minutes to remove residual odor from the bathroom. By the time we are done packing things up, we turn off and pack the blower, remove the drop cloths from the bathroom, and start to remove the masking around the tub carefully. We aim to leave our work area cleaner than we found it.
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