How to renovate a bathtub

Even the deterioration of a bathtub is not irreparable. A certain number of gestures can give a second life to your bathtub and prevent you from changing it.

Here's how to renovate a bathtub.

1. Study the composition and condition of your bathtub to renovate

Composition of your bathtub
You must first know the material of your bathtub:

If it is used or in a very advanced state of deterioration, it does not belong to the category of modern acrylic or toplax baths.
Indeed, these models degrade less quickly and are easier to clean.
Your bathtub is therefore made of cast iron or enamelled steel.

Level of degradation of your bathtub
You may face three situations that will require different attention:

The bathtub has minimal chips, small scratches or possible scratches.
The bathtub has significant splinters.
Rust has completely attacked your bathtub.

2. Prepare the renovation of your bathtub
Secure your workspace
For this type of renovation, it is essential to ventilate your room well to avoid poisoning. The work, in fact, will generate dust and volatile gases.

Your bathroom will be subject to significant paint splashes, so be sure to empty it completely. You will cover the remaining objects (sink, etc.) as well as the walls with protective tarpaulins.

Prepare your bathtub before the renovation
The following steps are essential to respect to facilitate your site:

Clean and sand the tub perfectly.
If the enamel is cracked or if it is hollowed out, it will be necessary to fill the affected surfaces with filler and to sand again.

3. Renovate your bathtub
Here are the three possible solutions to the scenarios that may arise:

surface degradation: application of a cold enamel paint for automobile bodywork;
significant degradation: application of several successive layers of epoxy resin;
total degradation:
installation of a built-in acrylic shell, if the renovation is extreme and without recourse. It will hide the degraded part. It will then be necessary to adapt it to the dimensions of the bathtub which will appear as new.

4.Stripping the bathtub
To strip your bathtub and bring it back to life, you can:

use an oven remover to remove dark circles from around the tub;
use half a lemon sprinkled with coarse salt to remove stains;
restore glaze to the enamel thanks to the essence of turpentine.