primitives discuss refinishing cast-iron bathtub

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=287x9394

Oh my.

tabasco  (1000+ posts)        Fri Aug-19-11 12:19 PM
Original message
 
Refinishing a cast iron tub

Got a nice tub for free with a little damage in the bottom.

Right now, I plan to use the POR-15 method to refinish it because my research has revealed the POR-15/Whitecoat method to be the best:

2 coats POR-15
One coat self-etching primer
1-2 coats Whitecoat enamel

AS A COMPLETE POR-15 PAINT SYSTEM
Apply two coats of POR15 Rust Preventive Paint over a sandblasted surface or a surface prepared with Marine
Clean and Metal Ready. Then apply one light to medium coat of POR15 Self-Etching Primer as soon as POR-15
Rust Preventive Paint has cured to ensure maximum adhesion. Allow POR15 Self-Etching Primer to cure for 30
Minutes at 68OF (20OC), or longer in cooler temperatures.

Apply Hardnose / Whitecote as final finish. If surface has any irregularities that you wish to remove, apply a medium coat of TieCoat Primer over the cured POR15 Self Etching Primer. Allow this to cure for 2 to 3 days, then sand smooth and finish with 300 grit. Wipe down with dry tack cloth and apply Hardnose / Whitecote.

http://www.por15.com/Data%20Sheets/hn_wc%20directions.p...

Any comments or suggestions on other refinishing products or techniques would be appreciated to help me decide.

POR-15 website: http://www.por15.com/WHITECOTE/productinfo/WCG/

Stinky The Clown  (1000+ posts)        Fri Aug-19-11 04:41 PM
Response to Original message
 
1. How much will that cost you?

We got an estimate from a company that does the same sort of thing. They wanted $280 to do our bathtub (no tile, just the tub). I asked the guy how his product compares to the do it yourself stuff - was it simply a matter of technique or was his stuff intrinsically better.

He said it was both. His prep, he says, is very thorough and creates a far better bond than any do it yourself kit offers. He also said his stuff was chemically different. It is more toxic in the application and requires a license to apply. As a result, it is stronger and more durable than any do it yourself option.

I'm not stating any of this as fact. I am simply reporting what I was told. I have seen his work and the result is really very nice. It looks and feels like porcelain, which of course it isn't. The prep work took a half day, the spraying about half that time. He ventilated the room, masked it very fastidiously, and generally did a very professional job.

Even if his stuff is the same as the DIY variety, letting him do the prep and spraying, and getting his 5 year warranty, is fine with me, particularly if the costs are in line.

One wonders however if the guy was a union-card-carrying refinisher.

tabasco  (1000+ posts)        Fri Aug-19-11 05:48 PM
Response to Reply #1

2. About $200 and it might be enough to do two tubs. 

A friend of mine has a bathtub that needs done too and he has the spray equipment (he paints cars).

1 qt. POR-15
1 qt. Whitecoat
1 qt self-etching primer
Solvent

About $200.

We're thinking a quart might be enough to do two tubs but we're going to do mine and see. I'll post the results.

I'm sure the pros are using a similar two-part epoxy paint like POR-15.

$280 seems like a good deal, if the company has a good rep. The tub I have was refinished by a professional and lasted for several years before it started chipping, I believe.

Stinky The Clown  (1000+ posts)        Fri Aug-19-11 09:13 PM
Response to Reply #2
 
3. That's a reasonable comparison

For $80 more I'd get the job done with no more sweat than that involved in writing a check.

[Skul]

Stinky The Clown  (1000+ posts)        Fri Aug-19-11 09:13 PM
Response to Reply #2
 
3. That's a reasonable comparison

For $80 more I'd get the job done with no more sweat than that involved in writing a check.

Yes, we know, you're a lazy dude.
BTW, Skunky, where would you get $80 bucks?
Sell off a little stash?

[BattleHymn]

A friend of mine has a bathtub that needs done too and he has the spray equipment (he paints cars).

1 qt. POR-15

Your buddy might want to use his worst gun, or better yet, buy a cheap one just for this project.

By trying to spray it on, instead of brushing it on, Murphy's Law dictates that you will get POR-15 on something you don't want it to be on, and it will be very difficult or impossible to remove it from said item.  That stuff is pretty darn tough.   

[vesta111]

When was the last time any of you went to a mid-range price Hotel and found there was no tub????

A shower to seat 2 but no tub???  Why-------

When was he last time you went to a Hotel and  ignored the shower for a bath tub?????

Tubs are becoming a part of Americana as are Well Pumps, hitching posts for horses, or Cast Iron Stoves. Much is saved and used as artifacts but seldom used.

Me as a Canuck, I would half bury the tub in the front yard put in a statue of Mary and plant flowers about it.
     
Now as what to do wih the bathroom where a shower is used every day and the absent tub  once every 6 months????

Go all out, get one of those showers 2 can sit in and  get sprayed from 3 sides with an over head rain forest.

When the Canuck leaves his house he stops to give a pat to the cast iron tub and Mary and thank them.
 

[GOBUCKS]

Seems to me, when a bathtub is all chipped, and rusted, and shitty, a decent landlord would buy a new bathtub.
But not Vinnie, the catbox squatter. He just paints it white.

[Erasmus]

When was the last time any of you went to a mid-range price Hotel and found there was no tub????

A shower to seat 2 but no tub???  Why-------

When was he last time you went to a Hotel and  ignored the shower for a bath tub?????

Tubs are becoming a part of Americana as are Well Pumps, hitching posts for horses, or Cast Iron Stoves. Much is saved and used as artifacts but seldom used.

Me as a Canuck, I would half bury the tub in the front yard put in a statue of Mary and plant flowers about it.
     
Now as what to do wih the bathroom where a shower is used every day and the absent tub  once every 6 months????

Go all out, get one of those showers 2 can sit in and  get sprayed from 3 sides with an over head rain forest.

When the Canuck leaves his house he stops to give a pat to the cast iron tub and Mary and thank them.
 

I just ordered a clawfoot tub for our bathroom remodel.  Exposed polished plumbing as well.

[BEG]

We had our tub refinished (the house we sold in July so we got get the hell out of CA) DUmmie. My husband tore the whole bathroom out but we decided to leave the original 1940's tub. My husband did everything except the tub refinishing. I would pay someone to do it right the first time DUmmie, you also get a warranty if you have someone else do it.

Here is a picture of the tub after being refinished, before the fixtures.

[BEG]

I just ordered a clawfoot tub for our bathroom remodel.  Exposed polished plumbing as well.

Where did you order your tub from?  Vintage Tub and Bath? That is where we got the pedestal sink and toilet as well as our fixtures.

[Erasmus]

Where did you order your tub from?  Vintage Tub and Bath? That is where we got the pedestal sink and toilet as well as our fixtures.

Dang good guess!  Yes, that's where we ordered the tub and plumbing.  Contractors have everything ripped out.  They're having to jackhammer into the slab since the plumbing from the old 1970's fake marble tub was in a weird location, so we figured that we may as well put in a clawfoot.  Actually, the "boss" did all of that figuring, I just write the checks, lol.

[blitzkrieg_17]

I haven't lived in a house with a tub since I was 11, so I've forgotten what sitting in one is like, but...since when did DUmmies use bathtubs?

[LC EFA]

I ripped the old bathtub in my house out as a part of replacing the old bathroom.

Haven't been able to fit in the damn thing since I was about 14 anyway.

The old tub is still sitting out in the backyard junk pile awaiting inspiration. Thinking it might make a good garden bed.

[BattleHymn]

I haven't lived in a house with a tub since I was 11, so I've forgotten what sitting in one is like, but...since when did DUmmies use bathtubs?

H5.  It's probably just a decorative item to them. 

[thundley4]

H5.  It's probably just a decorative item to them. 

[Chris_]

Mmm, cheesy poofs.

[Chris_]

Your buddy might want to use his worst gun, or better yet, buy a cheap one just for this project.

By trying to spray it on, instead of brushing it on, Murphy's Law dictates that you will get POR-15 on something you don't want it to be on, and it will be very difficult or impossible to remove it from said item.  That stuff is pretty darn tough.   

I put POR-15 on the floor of my '82 Datsun before I had to get rid of it.  That stuff has almost no traction and is slick as poop through a goose.  Plus, it's a three-part process that takes entirely too long.

[oldcrow]

We had our tub refinished (the house we sold in July so we got get the hell out of CA) DUmmie. My husband tore the whole bathroom out but we decided to leave the original 1940's tub. My husband did everything except the tub refinishing. I would pay someone to do it right the first time DUmmie, you also get a warranty if you have someone else do it.

Here is a picture of the tub after being refinished, before the fixtures.

Nice Job on the tile!