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  • Refinish Your Old Bathroom

    There comes a point in redecorating your bathroom when a fresh coat of paint or new wall coverings just aren’t enough. To get the look you really want, the avocado green bathtub and pink tiles simply have to go.

    Replacing old fixtures like the tub, sink and tile can be expensive and difficult. But even if you’re remodeling on a budget, you don’t have to live with old or ugly fixtures any longer.

    If the surfaces are made of porcelain, ceramic tile, fiberglass, acrylic, cultured marble or laminate, you can now update your bathroom and save time and money.

    “The key to a good refinishing job is the process of cleaning, preparing and bonding. These are the most important steps in order for the new finish to stick to the old surface,” said Chuck Pistor, president of Miracle Method, a retailer of refinishing solutions.

    Why Refinish?

    • To Save Money: If you want a new look for your bathroom, but don’t want to spend thousands of dollars remodeling, then refinishing is your best value. Replacing the bathtub alone can cost as much as $3,000.With refinishing, you only pay a small fraction (as little as 10 percent) of the cost of replacement. And anyone who has ever replaced the tiles or sink in their bathroom knows the mess and hassle of demolition, as well as the hole it can put in their wallet.
    • To Save Time: Refinishing a tub can take as little as four hours. You can shower or bathe the very next day. Replacing a tub, however, can take weeks, when you factor in the time to rip out your old tub, install a new one, let caulking dry, and readjust or replace plumbing. With many homes having only one bathtub, weeks of delay are not affordable, practical or convenient.
    • Durability: Refinished tubs or ceramic tiles can easily last 15 to 20 years or more with proper maintenance. A new porcelain bathtub may last a few years longer, but the cost of replacement is nearly triple what it would cost to refinish. Not only is refinishing more cost-effective, but refinishers are also able to provide extras, such as slip-resistant surfaces and custom colors.Judith from Easthampton, Mass., is still satisfied with the look and feel of her refinished tub. “It’s been approximately 14 years — my tub still looks good and is easy to clean. Before refinishing it was pitted, porous and impossible to clean.”Refinishing is also great for repairing small chips and cracks, making it ideal for fixtures that are otherwise in good condition. Professional restoration companies like Ultimate Reglaze guarantee their work, so be sure to ask about warranties when shopping for a refinisher.
    • AestheticsBecause refinishing can match nearly any color, you can change that avocado green tub to a color you really like — even white.Since most of us have purchased previously owned homes that were decorated according to someone else’s preferences, it’s probably not exactly the way you’d like it to be. Now you can change that 1970s color scheme in just a few hours. And at a savings of up to 90 percent of the cost of replacement, it’s a hard value to beat. Not only will your bathtub look great, but it will also feel silky smooth!

    When looking for the right refinisher for your bathroom-remodeling project, remember to do a little research.

    “Refinishing is a great process if it is done with the right materials and techniques, but all refinishing is not the same so be sure to ask the right questions. Ask how long the company has been in business and ask for references,” Pistor said.

    Courtesy of ARA Content

  • Considerations for those contemplating refinishing versus installing liner

    Bathtub liners are designed to fit, like a shell, right over your existing bathtub and walls. They are made out of vinyl or plastic and take about 2 weeks to order and can be installed in a day. The cost however versus refinishing is about $1100 for the bathtub, and $2-4000 if you include the wall surround. Compare this to the average bathtub refinishing project at $350 and you can see the savings refinishing offers over liners.

    If you are considering this type of solution for your bathroom remodeling project, you may want to consider the following.The life expectancy of both a refinished bathtub, and a bathtub liner is between 12-20 years. This is based on professional installation, proper care, and the quality of the products the company is using. The claims that liners cannot be chipped or gouged are not true. In fact, bathtub liners are easily scratched and if a sharp edge is dropped or scraped up against a liner, they will be damaged. The key is to always follow the care instructions provided by the company doing your job.

    An improperly installed bathtub liner or one that is cheap and installed by inexperienced companies can end up being a headache for you down the road. Bathtub liners tend to leak at the joints, or at the drains and when this happens water will accumulate between the liner and the old bathtub. This will cause your bathtub liner to develop mold, mildew, bad odor, and a mushy feeling when you are standing on the bathtub floor.

    Research has shown that when mold spores are inhaled, even in small quantities, these can contribute to serious health problems. If this happens, the only way to remove the mold is to remove the liner and disinfect the bathtub.

    When the time comes to replace the liner, expect to end up paying a large sum to do it. These liners are basically glued to your old bathtub and they are very difficult to remove. This is not the case with bathtub refinishing. When it is time to refinish your bathtub again, then remedy is much less expensive and there is less time involved.

    Unlike bathtub refinishing, your choices during installation of a bathtub liner are limited. Only a very small number of colors are available. Trying to match the bathtub liner to your custom colored vanity top, tile or sink is not going to happen either. Expect most installations to require 2 trips to your home for measuring and another day for installation, not to mention the 2 week ordering period. This is all solved, really in 1 day by bathtub refinishing. Choose any color you like, same day or same week completion service and no waiting for manufacturing a bathtub liner.