The Many Choices For Your Bathtub Remodel

When your bathtub is proving that it is too worn out and old to continue being used, you have one of several major options: buy a brand new bathtub, refinish your old bathtub or invest in a bathtub liner. If you can afford it, than the first choice would probably look relatively attractive. For a full-scale bathroom remodel, this would make sense because in addition to paying for someone to install your new tub, you don't have to do much. All you have to do is to pick the bathtub style and color. However, if you are a more price conscious consumer, it may serve you better to opt for refinishing or liners. Both methods add years of life at a fraction of the cost and time.

Refinishing your bath tub is very hands-on and site-intensive. Not for the average lazy person, it basically consists of taking your existing tub and making improvements here and there where they are needed. You spend an average about 4 to 6 hours on your tub but the end result may be well-worth it all. The first step you take in this kind of bathtub remodel is reglazing. After you properly vent the bathroom and put approriate plastic coverings over other fixtures, you can start swathing the tub in hydroflouric acid. Because this agent dissolves what's left of the porcelain glaze, it also creates a surface in which the new finish will be able to adhere to. It is highly toxic and is probably why many people like to have their modern bathtubs refinished by professionals. After the hydroflouric acid is washed away, you would put in some new caulk along the lining of the tub. This ensures that none of the water will get through the cracks and produce unattractive mildew. To finish, you would simply spray on two coats of a fast-drying epoxy and then several applications of polishes.

The second option is also a cheaper form of bathtub remodel than buying a new bathtub and depending on how proactive you want to be, may or may not require outside help. Using bathtub liners usually mean that your bathtub is in complete disrepair and is so unsalvageable that it needs to be replaced but you simply don't have the financial means to back it up. Therefore, you resort to getting an acrylic mold of your bathtub to place over your old tub. It literally slips on it like a glove and is installed with a new drain and overflow. This knd of remodeling usually takes around six to eight hours.

Whichever method you prefer--refinishing or bathtub liners--your bathtub remodel shouldn't be a difficult issue to deal with. If something is out of your price range, than do something else that is more cost effective. What matters most is that you are doing what you want and need at the same time.