painting ceramic bath

[lizzie]

hi all ... after some advice. we have in a new (old) rental an old clawfoot bath. the rental is going to be demolished in around 12-18 mths for a rebuild so we are spending as little as possible bringing it up to rental standard.

the bath is in pretty poor condition with massive chipping and scarring. i plan to have it resurfaced to put in the new house when it is built but in the meantime would like some advice on how to tart up the bath internally.

i have heard there is a product that can be painted on the bath to, at least, make it all the one colour. has anyone had experience with this? how well does it last? does it work??

would love to hear from you.

lizzie

 

[The Y-man]

We've used mend-a-bathroom, and been pretty happy with it (now 4 years ago).

There is also a 2 part enamel mix you can buy - I think MannyB was saying you needed serious ventilation when attempting, or you could be very "high" afterwards.

Cheers,

The Y-man

 

[The Y-man]

Ooops, read the bit about demolition... unless you want to take the tub out




Cheers,

The Y-man

 

[Jacque]

We've used mend-a-bathroom, and been pretty happy with it (now 4 years ago).

There is also a 2 part enamel mix you can buy - I think MannyB was saying you needed serious ventilation when attempting, or you could be very "high" afterwards.

Cheers,

The Y-man

Manny is right
Speaking from a personal intoxicating experience, I used Tub 'n' Tile and was very unhappy with the end result. However, I did have to contend with a dripping tap (tricky) and taking care of a two yr old at the same time. In the end, I actually got Inner Bath to install a new bath inside the old one. Can't see this being applicable here, but if you have the patience (and good ventilation and an appropriate face mask) and the time to paint it yourself, I don't see why it wouldn't be a good short term solution for your particular circumstance. Have fun!

 

[depreciator]

I used the brush-on 2 pack product to recoat a claw foot bath in an IP. Did it a few years back and it's fine.
The bath really needed resurfacing professionally, but that property only ever sits vacant a week or two between tenants and I didn't have the time.
Can't remember the name of the product, but it cost around $70.
Surface prep is the key. I put a sanding disk on a small grinder and spent a fair while prepping it.
And I used a proper mask when applying it - not one of those disposable paper things.
I also turned the water off and taped a cloth around the tap in case there were any rogue drips.
I would use it again.
Scott

 

[manny]

Hi Lizzie,

I did use the two-pack product Y-man indicated & 2.5yrs later the bath tub is still looking good (tenants seem to be using it often)... It did cost around $60 then @ Bunnings & was found in the paint section of the store (forget the name (think it was called Tub'n'Tile), small pack that has 2 small cans, mix 1/2 of each can into an empty container & paint away (use 1/2 at a time, so that you can apply 2 coats)...

One thing to remember is that you need to follow the instructions on the pack for "preparation" to get best results, ie. wash thoroughly with sugar soap, sand back, etc... If you do not follow these instructions, the paint may not adhear well to the surface & you may get a bad result... I did follow the instructions to the book & am happy with the result...

Note: as per Y-man's comments, it does have nice fumes/odours & if you work in a bathroom like in my case with no windows, make sure you have the ventilation fan going, as u will feel kind of happy at the end of it without taking any alcohol

Cheers,

Manny.

 

[Rystar]

Hi Manny, Scott, Jacque,
did you have any problems with the finish looking streaky or have brush strokes?
i am thinking of using something like this at home soon, on the kitchen tiles and the shower tiles.
how does it handle being cleaned?

cheers
Ryan

 

[manny]

Hi Ryan,

well I did this in an IP, so haven't personally cleaned it, but looking at it a few weeks back when I went for an inspection, it looked as good as new... nice & glossy & assume it would be easy to clean...

in terms of paint streaks, being a two-pack enamel product, it does take time to dry, therefore providing you with a levelling & forgiving results, as brush streaks slowly vanish by the time it dries... by the time I finished the second coat, you wouldn't be able to really see all that many streaks in it, unlike the wall tiles I had painted, that was just water based paint (White Knight product) which was also good, but being water based dried quicker & you had to be fussier with the result (hence I used a small roller for it & came up better than the original effect I was getting with a paint brush, but that was wall tiles all round the bathroom, which the roller also spead up the job)... The wall tiles did also look good when I last saw them...

White Knight has another product that looks similar to the one you use on wall tiles that can be used on Laminex (kitchens, etc.) & I had also applied it on laminex & did also look good (I also used small rollers for them as well for a better & faster finish)...

Note: the white knight products were far cheaper, being water based paints (& in larger containers), but you need to apply an undercoat prior to applying the final top coats, but did dry far quicker due to being water based (if I remember right, can re-coat after a couple of hours unlike the 2pack, which needed to be left 24hrs between coats). All their packs have good instructions on them, but keep in mind, the result will only be as good as your preparation...

Cheers,

Manny.

 

[alwayscurious]

Tub & Tile

I used this to great effect in a recent renovation.

Tips:

Use sugar soap.
Sand /grind with 3 different levels - rough, medium, fine

Use automotive thinners to clean old silicone from around the bath (if it was there)

Make sure all fat/grease/silicone is gone.

Tape cloth around the tap - no drips!

use a great brush. due to toxicity/acidity, Foam rollers disintegrate, leaving crap & bits of foam

Do it when it is cool - no sweat drips.

Wear mask and ventilate.

I nearly threw up and my eyes stung, my nose stung, my lungs stung..

In spite of it all - it came up GREAT.

Take the time to follow instructions, wait between coats, and leave the bath for 6 days before using, it will be fine

 

[depreciator]

Rystar,
A good brush is the key to all good enamel paint jobs.
Cleaning hasn't been a problem.
The finish won't last forever. Next time it needs doing I'll probably get it re-enameled professionally. The 2 pack product may buy me 5-6 years, which was handy.
Scott

 

[Rystar]

thanks for all the tips guys



Scott, ill get that info to you soon..... i got a bit distracted with painting and other things

cheers
Ryan

 

[lizzie]

thanks everyone - and sounds like more than one person benefited from my question. i actually ended up using a white knight product that came in two tins (recommended by the hardware shop guy) which is specifically for enamel baths. was just under $70.

i gather is was an oil based product (or at least, not water based) and being the lazy person i am bought two brushes - one for each coat - and just threw them out. they were good quality brushes, but i have found with past experience that the time spent and the turps purchased to clean the brushes properly is about the same price as a new brush!

the fumes were rather interesting, but fortunately it is a well ventilated area (read: very drafty) and i managed to keep the 2yr old distracted. the bath only took a good scrub with sugar soap and domestos as there was no shiny surface left - in fact there was plenty of spots were there was no enamel left!! - so i didn't need to sand and the producted leveled out beautifully to fill in the dings.

i am very happy with the result - thanks for the advice - will be interested to see how it last but, by crikey, at least it looks 1000% better. i can now rent it with a bit of dignity intact.

lizzie

 

[alwayscurious]

well done!

I hope you shook hands with the little green men, pink elephants and leprechauns I was talking to when I used the product..

I used the white knight tubntile - 2 tins, I did wash my brush though - I used auto thinners & turps to wash it.

Cheers
ac

 

[lizzie]

didn't see any dancing pink elephants - the unlined bathroom in an old weatherboard supplied plenty of ventaliation. although, trying to get the dried paint out from under the fingernails is proving rather difficult. will just have to wait for it to grow out.

lizzie

 

[Jacque]

didn't see any dancing pink elephants - the unlined bathroom in an old weatherboard supplied plenty of ventaliation. although, trying to get the dried paint out from under the fingernails is proving rather difficult. will just have to wait for it to grow out.

lizzie

Good for you, Lizzie
As for the nails, I'd give up on them whilst you're renovating. Same goes for when you have small children! Mine haven't been any decent length since BC days (1992) and I don't hold out much hope for a while yet.....!

 

[lizzie]

ah yes - long gone are the days when i used to have a new shade of nail polish every week. now the only polishing i do is floors and benchtops.

although, when i am rich and famous - or at least rich - i am going to indulge with a professional massage every friday afternoon. hmmmm, when do i reach the point that i can justify that to myself instead of seeing it as potential deposit money?