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Post by alison on Jun 3, 2008 8:34:05 GMT -5
This is totally off topic for a triathlon forum, but I am hoping my homeowner question will reach more people this way.
We are remodeling our bathroom and want to get our current tub refinished, rather than replacing it (the tub is an odd size to fit our bathroom). The problem is that there are dozens of places that refinish bathtubs, and prices vary quite a bit, and I have heard horror stories about fly-by-the-night contractors that do shoddy jobs.
I got a quote from Miracle Method, which is a national brand, that is almost $200 more than another local company I contacted. They claim to use the same professional materials and methods. I always like the idea of supporting small business but feel like the national brand might be more reliable.
Has anyone had a good experience with a bathtub refinisher? or heard good things about one?
Thanks for any advice, Alison
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Post by Brooks Modie on Jun 3, 2008 9:26:17 GMT -5
I can't answer your question about which company to contract, sorry. However, make sure you ask whoever you hire if the chemicals from shower sprays will slowly eat away the refinished product. I know 2 people who were in similar situations and had their shower/tub refinished by 2 different companies. Neither company warned against using shower sprays to clean after using said shower and slowly the finish began to dissolve leaving a blue/green hue onto the walls and base.
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Post by Kim Zepp on Jun 3, 2008 10:15:06 GMT -5
What type of refinishing are you looking to do? In our last house, we had a 1950s pink bath tub and a sea green one. My husband painted them white using a special spray paint meant for bath tubs available at HomeDepot and Lowes. They looked really good when he was done and I didn't have a problem cleaning it for the several years we continued to live there. Just allow the paint to completely dry between coats and follow the directions exactly. (and don't use the brush on kind of paint - it peeled up) The spray paint was great.
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Post by debbie on Jun 3, 2008 13:26:08 GMT -5
How timely this question is. I too am in the process of getting the tub redone (its going on 2 years now). We've order tiles and hubby needs to redo the floor and walls. We decided on the getting the tub reglazed instead of an insert. My sister mentioned that my brother did this but there was flormydahid (sp??) in the products they used. Does anyone know about this? I don't want to be soaking in an ice bath after a race in harmful chemicals, or use something that is a major harm to the enviroment. I realize in any process such as this there are some degree of harmfulness.
debbie
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Post by Jack Carney on Jun 3, 2008 17:24:41 GMT -5
I had it done years ago and it was great. Did the shower, the tub the tile the grout, the dog.... and it looked fabulous. Don't remember who we used but just check some references.
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Post by TimAckley on Jun 3, 2008 18:36:22 GMT -5
We used a company called Tub Doctor for a few years to fix fiberglass tubs and showers, that the trades would damage while working.. But they did refinishes too..
but I cannot find there number.. I looked twice today thru the office today.. I will see if I can get there number for u.. They do really good work.. They were rather expensive also... if I remember right, like $150 to walk in the door.. We have not had to use them for a few years now..
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Post by alison on Jun 5, 2008 7:36:47 GMT -5
I would like to avoid making this a DIY project. The rest of the bathroom will be done by my husband and me, but refinishing the bath seems to require a higher skill level.
Debbie, I would assume any formaldehyde would be used to clean the tub before applying the finish, not an ingredient in the finish itself. From what I understand some pretty intense chemicals are used to prep the surface.
Thanks for the suggestion, Tim. I will contact Tub Doctor and see what they have to say.
Alison
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Post by ebanks2 on Jun 6, 2008 9:54:38 GMT -5
I had mine refinished a couple of years ago and it looked like crap after 2 years...chipping and flaking. Sucked as it cost me a few hundred dollars. I debated on having it redone, replacing, or trying to fix it myself. So last year, I bought a kit online to do this...it was actually really easy and I knocked it out in a couple of hours: tubbyusa.com/I think it was about $75. Still looks great.
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Alan
Olympic Member
Posts: 133
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Post by Alan on Jun 6, 2008 15:01:33 GMT -5
Alison, We had our tub resurfaced in July of 2004 and it's still holding up. Paid $220.00 at the time. We had it done by: CHAGRIN VALLEY TUB & TILE RESURFACING CO. located in Chagrin Falls. 440-247-6942
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Post by alison on Jun 9, 2008 7:56:15 GMT -5
Thanks for the suggestion, Alan. I will give them a call, too. BTW, Tim, the Tub Doctor quote was very reasonable, less than the others I have gotten so far. Looks like they are in the lead Alison
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