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How to Paint the Bathtub?

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If your cast-iron tub is looking a little rundown, save some money and give it a new coat of paint rather than replacing it. After filling in any gaps or cracks, sanding down the interior and exterior, and giving it a few coats of acrylic urethane enamel paint, you’ll have a bathtub that looks brand new. It’ll cost you about $450 to refinish your tub yourself, versus over $3000 to replace it.


Leave the tub alone until it has cured completely. Don’t step in it, run any water, or use it it any way. Follow the paint manufacturer’s instructions for the curing time, which is generally around 24 hours. You can also use a heat lamp to speed up the curing time, but that could also cause discoloration in the paint.


Remove the masking tape and reattach the tub fixtures. Once the tub is dry, you can remove all the plastic sheeting and tape and replace the drain and faucet. Throw the sheeting and tape away. You may also want to mop the floor and give the rest of the bathroom a thorough wipe-down to catch any dust or dirt left behind from the painting process.


Re-caulk the tub before you use it again to protect it from mold. Use a caulking gun to reapply the caulk to the areas where the tub meets the shower, if that’s applicable. Follow the instructions for the brand you purchased and let it dry before you use the tub. Caulk can take 24 hours to cure, but it’s generally safe to expose it to water after a few hours.


Spray painting is generally an easier process because you won’t have to lean over the tub and risk smearing the paint. Similarly, if you’re painting the tub by hand, use long, even strokes to coat the tub’s entirety.

How Adding New Caulk a Bathtub?

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Purchase caulk made for use in bathrooms that is formulated for the type of tub you have. Hardware stores sell a variety of different types of caulk, so pick one that is for kitchens and bathrooms, or “tub and tile”. Caulk for bathtubs comes in either silicone or acrylic latex forms, and the best type to use depends on the material of your bathtub.


For fiberglass bathtubs, silicone caulk is usually the best to use. It comes in a limited color palette and is difficult to smooth, yet is very flexible.
For ceramic tubs, acrylic latex is recommended. It is easier to clean up that silicone and comes in many different colors, yet will need to be replaced slightly sooner than silicone caulk.


Lay down strips of painter’s tape to get clean edges. Place strips of painter’s tape just above all of the edges where you will apply the caulk. Next place parallel strips just below where the caulk will be, leaving a thin gap between the 2 strips. The gap in between these strips will be the width of the caulk.


Although it depends on your style of the bathtub and edging, the gap between the painter’s tape strips is normally around 0.375 inches (0.95 cm). Load the application gun with the caulk tube. Cut the tip off the caulk tube at a 45-degree angle. Push the stick on the application gun through the nozzle of the caulk tube to break the seal.


Then place the caulk tube into the application gun, with the nozzle in the notched end of the gun. Hold the application gun loaded with caulk at a 45-degree angle from the edging. This means that the gun will be at an equal distance from either side of the corner where the caulk will go. The nozzle will be very close to the seam.

How Removing Stains from a Porcelain Bathtub?

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Pick up a canister of abrasive cleaning powder. For thick buildup on porcelain surfaces, you’ll need to use something a little more heavy-duty. Use a product like Comet or Ajax that comes in powdered form. The small particles will be able to penetrate deeper into stains that have set up on the surface of the tub to remove them.


Powdered cleansers contain chemicals known as surfactants which have mild abrasive properties. This makes them much more effective for addressing hardened, stuck-on residue. Apply abrasive cleansers sparingly. For most jobs, a single canister be enough for a single thorough cleaning.


Stick with natural alternatives. Alternately, tough stains like rust and hard water residue can be treated with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and cream of tartar. Blend the two ingredients together until they’re about the same consistency as cake frosting and spread them directly over the stains. After 10 minutes, buff the stains with a nylon brush or pumice stone until they’re erased completely.


Homemade concoctions like hydrogen peroxide and cream of tartar will be preferable for those who are wary of the health and environmental effects of chemical cleaning products. Hydrogen peroxide will also help treat age-related discoloration and lighten the finish of the tub.


Sprinkle the cleaning powder around the stained tub. A moderate dusting should be enough to deal with most messes. The powder won’t stick to the surface of the porcelain on its own, but when combined with a liquid it will form a paste that can be spread directly over stains. Be sure to cover the bottom of the tub, where accumulated mold can become a slipping hazard.

How to Clean a Bathtub?

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No one likes a grimy bathtub, but no one likes to clean it either. However much you dread this task, you have many options available to make the process simpler. You can use a natural cleaning product, such as grapefruits and salt, or a commercial product to thoroughly clean your bathtub.

Use baking soda paste. This paste works well for rust stains, but you can also use it as a general cleaner. To make the paste, add water to the baking soda until it forms a paste-like substance. Then, use a sponge to apply the paste to the areas you want to clean. Scrub the paste into the surface to help remove the stains. Finally, rinse away the paste.

If your bathtub is very dirty or stained, apply the paste onto the affected areas, then spritz over it with white vinegar. Allow the baking soda and vinegar to set on the stain for 10-15 minutes, then scrub with a sponge. Finally, rinse away the baking soda and vinegar. This should remove the stains.

Try borax and a lemon. This coupling also works well on hard stains. Dust the stain with borax. Cut a lemon in half, and rub it on the stain. Let it stand for at least 15 minutes. Wash it away.

Practice everyday cleaning. If you clean out your tub every time you shower, you won’t have a buildup over time. Use the shower to sprinkle the tub with warm water, washing away any dirt. Wipe off the water with a towel or sponge.

Apply as directed. Leave the cleaner to sit, or scrub it in as directed by the manufacturer. Don’t use a metal or abrasive brush as it can damage your tub. For hard to reach places, try scrubbing using an old toothbrush and one of the aforementioned cleaning products.