9 Easy Steps to Refinish Your Bathtub

Begin by removing all caulking around the tub using a blade and chemical remover if necessary. It's important to get all of the caulk removed.

Use an abrasive cleaner or bleach to clean the bathtub thoroughly. Be sure to clean around the areas where you removed the hardware. Scrub the tub well, rinsing with clear water. For extra dirty and dingy tubs, do this cleaning process two or three times to ensure cleanliness. Remove any soap scum with a plastic putty knife.

Because the coating you'll eventually use to cover the tub with is difficult to remove, you'll want to tape off and protect areas around the tub in case of spills. Be sure floors and walls are protected with drop cloths.

Many bathtub refreshing kits come with an etching powder that is used to remove the existing glaze and dull the surface. Apply the powder to the tub surface using water and scrub thoroughly with an abrasive pad. Failure to completely remove the glaze may result in your final coating not adhering as it should. Rinse the powder with water once you're done scrubbing.

Using 400-grit wet/dry sandpaper, sand the tub to encourage an even rougher surface after the etching process. Be sure to get all areas of the tub during this step. If your refinishing kit didn't contain etching powder, set aside even more time for this step. If the tub surface is not etched and/or sanded properly, the final coating won't stick. Once you're finished sanding, rinse the tub well and dry it completely using paper towels.

Some kits include a primer to apply before applying the epoxy coating. Using a roller and foam brush, paint the primer onto the surface and let dry. Your kit may not include a separate primer as some epoxy coatings are self-priming. Take note to use only the primer included in your refinishing kit. Regular paint primer is not for use on bathtub surfaces.

Your finishing kit will have two items that need to be mixed together: a hardener and epoxy resin. The labels on these products will tell you exactly how to mix them. They'll also tell you the working time you have before the product hardens. You'll want to work steadily in applying the coating to the surface, covering the entire tub in one session.

You're now ready to apply the final epoxy coats to the tub. Using a roller, apply the coating to the sides, bottom and upper deck of the tub. Use a sponge brush for the edges. Once one coat is complete, move on to a second coat. Pay attention to the labels — some products require a waiting time of one or two hours in between coats while others require one coat to immediately follow the first one. Once finished, allow the tub to dry and cure over two to three days.

Wherever you removed caulk at the beginning of your refinishing project, now is the time to re-caulk those areas. Let the caulk dry overnight before using the tub. Replace the hardware you removed and remove all tape from around the tub and floor. Use a mild cleanser and clean cloth and wipe down the tub one last time. You should now have a gorgeous refinished tub.