FAQ

FAQ

Q: How long does it take to refinish a tub?

A: Approximately 4 to 5 hours. I schedule just your refinishing for the day. I will arrive between 8 n 8:30am
till noonish.

Q: How long do I have to wait before I can use my tub after refinishing?

A: It can be used in 24 hours.

Q: Are you Certified, Licensed and Insured & rated by BBB?

A: Yes, I’m A+ on BBB and I’m also A rated on Angie’s List with Super Service Award that only goes to the top 5%.

Q: How long will the process last?

A: Many years, depending on the care it gets. Similar to a car.

Q: How far out are you usually scheduled.

A: I usually range from 1 to 2 weeks. I typically don’t advertise. Just my website here and word of mouth so I’m usually not booked out that far. I don’t want to have to tell people that I can’t get to then within a reasonable time.

Q: Why isn't it cheaper to buy a new tub?

A: When you compare one or more estimates that reflect the total cost of the installation of a new tub with our price, you will find that Refinishing saves time and money! When you consider the cost of hiring a plumber/contractor as well as
purchasing the new tub, you will find that the price far exceeds Refinishing your existing tub. I complete my work in less than one day. Therefore, in most cases, I can save you time, money and mess.

Q: Can I refinish my tub with a DIY kit found in stores.

A: I highly don’t recommend it. Many times I’m called to refinish a tub done by one of these. In my opinion they really should not be sold but, they do give me work when they fail. There are a 2 sides here. On one hand they get me work on the other they give refinishing a bad rap.

DIY kits are limited in strength and durability. They just don’t last. They are usually made of an epoxy coating that can take many days to dry and yellows a lot over time. Most kits are rolled or brushed on, not given you a professional look.
Some kits are sprayed on with an aerosol can, causing uneven coverage, dry spray and drips. The professional look you
really want cannot be done without proper training and the use of proper spraying equipment $ materials.

Q: How many coats do you put on?

A: Great question, To bad many people hear unreal amounts and think the more the better. I’ve heard 8, 10, 12 or even more coats claimed by some. Two choices here. Either the person is lying, or he dosen’t have a clue of what he’s doing.

Here’s a brief lesson. First of all, every coating manufacturer specifies in the tech info the coating should be applied at a certain DFT or dried film thickness. All coatings work best at a certain thickness. Over or under, this results in a less durable coating with a variety of potential failures. Cracking, brittleness, solvent popping, slow cure, runs, lack of flexibility, or other problems will occur eventually, that’s guaranteed. The fact of the matter is, someone may claim 15 coats, but it won’t happen. Figure it out, 5 minutes to put on a coat, 10 minutes to set up, 5 minutes to spray, 10 minutes to set up, times 15 coats.

That’s about 4 hours of spraying alone. Add in 2 hours to prep, and an hour or so to clean up, plus travel to and from the job. If you have to drive to and from a job and it takes 7 hours to do it, you don’t get much work done. If someone claims 15 coats and then does the job in 3 hours total, I’d say he better check his math, it doesn’t add up. With 15 coats, the cure time would be a LONG time before you could use the tub, and it could start cracking about the time it dried because it would be so thick.

A coat is fully wetting the surface so that it has a sheen with each application, not just waving the gun quickly over the surface. The highest quality tub coatings are designed to work with a dried film thickness of about 5 mills. This is critical to get the proper flexibility required for the drastic and rapid
temperature changes that a bathtub is subject to.

Q: What should I do before you arrive?

A: Remove all items from the countertops and bathtub area.
Clean the tub/tile the best you can.
Vacuum the area. We don’t want dust blowing onto the surface.
Remove caulk between tile and tub if you can.
Remove overflow and screen on drain if possible.

Q: Can you change the color of my tub?

A: Yes

Q: Will there be fumes.

A: Yes, there are fumes generated however, I vent the fumes out a window with a commercial exhaust system, This works extremely well in my opinion.

Q: What is the cost compared to a plastic cover system.

A: Approx 1/3 to 1/2 the cost.

Q: Do you change any of the plumbing fixtures?

A: Plumbing problems (leaks, broken fixtures, etc.) must be resolved before the tub is refinished by a licensed plumber which I am not.

Q: What about my shower door?

A: Doors must be removed prior to refinishing the tub. Tracks can be masked off but it’s highly recommended that they are removed as well. ( No guarantee against peeling around track if not removed)

Q: What is the topcoat used?

A: A high performance; two-component chemically cured Acrylic Urethane Gloss Enamel.

Q: Why do different companies charge different prices?

A: It’s like anything else you may get in the market place – you get what you pay for. To do a bathtub for only $400, shortcuts are taken, and a cheaper material has to be used. Also, the specialized equipment may not be part of this process. Being a legitimate company also does cost more. In addition I only Refinish your tub for the day so I can do a good job. Others may be rushing to get to others or showing up late in day tired doing sloppy work. I call them low balling speed balls.

To Refinish a bathtub professionally so it will look like new and last for many years, there can be no compromise on materials, procedure, or equipment. This will cost a few dollars more but you will be happy with the results.

Q: I can buy a bathtub for $300. So why Refinish?

A: Yes you can buy a bathtub for a $300 but, first of all you’re buying a cheaper bathtub. You would be lucky if it lasts 3 years. Then you have the expensive of putting it in. You need a tile guy, the bathtub has a lip that goes under the first row of tiles. The floor tiles will probably crack next to the bathtub when removing the old one. Next you need a plumber in install all the plumbing fixtures, and hope the pipes don’t break when your removing the old bathtub, or installing the new
drain. This $300 bathtub will take several weeks to install and a thousands in labor and tile work. That’s without any major plumbing issues. Chances are you would end up with a much inferior tub then what you are replacing.
If you do decide to replace the tub do yourself a favor and get a quality one.