How to Redo a Cast Iron Bathtub

Standard bathtubs were once made of cast iron bodies topped with layers of porcelain that was baked on. If you've got one of those old tubs, and the porcelain is worn and dingy, you can't realistically re-bake it, but you can refinish it. Specialized primers and enamel paints, applied with a paint sprayer, are made to give new life to the old porcelain. Preparation requires de-glossing the old surface with etching acid.

Thick plastic tarps
Scissors
Duct tape
Long rubber gloves and thick clothing
Respirator
Porcelain etching solution (Hydrofluoric acid)
Synthetic paintbrush
Pneumatic paint sprayer
Porcelain priming paint
Porcelain top-coat paint (with enamel)

Instructions

- 1
  Lay plastic tarps over all the surfaces around the tub (floors and wall), taping them in place with duct tape. Cut and tape pieces of plastic over any fixtures on the tub that can't be removed. Cover all surfaces that aren't porcelain.
- 2
  Put on your respirator, rubber gloves and protective clothing. Brush acid etching solution over the porcelain surfaces, covering all of them. Let it de-gloss the porcelain for 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly. Let the surface dry for 24 hours.
- 3
  Load your paint sprayer with porcelain primer. Put your respirator on again. Coat the porcelain surface of the tub in a very light, thin layer of primer, making sure not to let drips or streaks form. Let the layer dry for half an hour, then apply a second layer. Let it dry overnight.
- 4
  Load your paint sprayer with porcelain top-coat. Apply it the same way as you did the primer, using a very light, thin layer. Let it dry for half an hour.
- 5
  Spray additional layers of top-coat in the same manner, adding four to six layers. Let the last coat cure for at least three days.

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