Need A Porcelain Bathtub Refinisher

[LazerFlash]

Does anyone here know of a contractor they could recommend that refinishes worn porcelain bathtubs? We have one in our house that is in pretty bad shape and needs attention. I've tried some web searches, but haven't had much success; even Empire - those folks running the "...call BathFitters, it's a perfect fit" commercials don't come out our way.


I'm not sure if this belongs here or in "Services"; I trust that it will be moved if it needs to be.

[Chutney Daftcraft]

Uh, consider it a lost cause. You'd be shocked what you can do these days.

I'm chucking my porcelain tub in lieu of one with whirlpool jets, and it's under 500 bucks I think.

I think that they look kinda cheap, but I like the one-piece resin tubs that go all the way up the wall. No chance of leaks, unles your pipes are leaking.

[LazerFlash]

Uh, consider it a lost cause. You'd be shocked what you can do these days. I'm chucking my porcelain tub in lieu of one with whirlpool jets, and it's under 500 bucks I think. I think that they look kinda cheap, but I like the one-piece resin tubs that go all the way up the wall. No chance of leaks, unles your pipes are leaking.Replacement is, of course, one option. There are several cons to that approach, not the least of which is the tremendous amount of work that a complete tub replacement involves.

In the FWIW category, I know of a few folks who have had tubs resurfaced professionally and they've been virtually good-as-new. The problem is, most were done in other counties/states. We're having almost no luck finding anyone who does this kind of work in Jefferson or Berkeley counties. :sad:

[DerVollender]

Try contacting The Brass Knob. They may have a contractor for you. I have had a couple customers in the past have Claw Bathtubs lengthed. They had to have them reporelianed them.

The Brass Knob
Architectural Antiques, Inc.
2311 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
Tel 202-332-3370

The Brass Knob
Back Doors Warehouse, Inc.
57 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
Tel 202-265-0587

[celestial]

C2C ...... how large is your porcelain tub? We've been toying with the idea of getting one.

[lar]

At work, we use Poe Porcelain from NoVA but I think we are a bit far out for them to come although they may go to our Winchester and Martinsburg jobsites. I'm just not sure.

[LazerFlash]

...we use Poe Porcelain from NoVA ...A call to Poe got a referral from a really nice fellow out of Nokesville who had no problem coming out here to give us an estimate. The price was reasonable (even when the extra fee for traveling more than 50 miles was added in), so we gave them the job. After a scheduling problem resulted in a missed first appointment, the owner of the company knocked 10% off the price and came and did the job *himself* this past Saturday morning. The job was picture-perfect. Of course, it's not like a brand-new tub, but considering the effort involved in that, this was money well-spent.

Anyone else looking for this kind of service, I can strongly recommend this company.

{To make the powers-that-be here happy, this is the requisite disclaimer: I have no financial or other interest in B&C Surface Corp, beyond being a very satisfied customer.}

[donnamarie67]

I work for a construction company down in Loudoun Co. and we've used this company.

Porcelite Inc. Phone: (703) 471-7869. They are in Herndon.

[derricksonb]

We're having almost no luck finding anyone who does this kind of work in Jefferson or Berkeley counties. :sad:

Have you tried talking to the Kitchen and Bath designers at The Home Depot? They offer bathtub refinishing services through the stores.

Also if you're feeling adventurous there is an epoxy based product on the market made by Klenks that is designed for refinishing porcelain tubs, sinks, etc...

http://www.klenks.com/

[Chutney Daftcraft]

It's not a claw-foot tub, it's just a standard porcelain tub from the late 70's.

It's yellow as well. I'll be relieving myself of the matching yellow toilet when my final bathroom renovation gets underway.

[lar]

Good I'm glad it worked out for you.

[LazerFlash]

Have you tried talking to the Kitchen and Bath designers at The Home Depot? They offer bathtub refinishing services through the stores.That was actually where we started; they only had one name for a company that did the work off-site. And then, they recommended...


Also if you're feeling adventurous there is an epoxy based product on the market made by Klenks that is designed for refinishing porcelain tubs, sinks, etc......something like this. I'm not sure if the product we purchased - and my wife meticulously applied - is the same one, but I wouldn't recommend it. She is pretty anal about following directions and while the finish was pretty shiny, it wasn't "ready-for-prime-time", if you know what I mean. The surface was left very grainy, there were obvious thin spots and small bubbles. In short, it was a waste of time and money.

[derricksonb]

That was actually where we started; they only had one name for a company that did the work off-site. And then, they recommended...

Try 877-79-DEPOT


...something like this. I'm not sure if the product we purchased - and my wife meticulously applied - is the same one, but I wouldn't recommend it. She is pretty anal about following directions and while the finish was pretty shiny, it wasn't "ready-for-prime-time", if you know what I mean. The surface was left very grainy, there were obvious thin spots and small bubbles. In short, it was a waste of time and money.

Sounds like what happened to our sink upstairs when I applied it there. I called the company and they said that could happen due to high humidity. (psssst- I did it in the dead of winter- not exactly 90 and humid outside.....)