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How Refinishing Badly-Damaged Tubs?

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Buy a bathtub refinishing kit at a home improvement center. Save yourself time by buying a whole kit that has everything you need to refinish your tub. Most kits come with tub cleaner, sandpaper, primer, refinishing paint, a paint tray, a brush, and a roller. Check that the kit comes with a durable resin coating for your tub. Some cheaper kits come with an epoxy coating, which chips and discolors faster.


Tub refinishing kits work to refinish all kinds of bathtubs including ceramic, porcelain, acrylic, fiberglass, and enamel tubs. The kits will provide a new porcelain-like finish to these kinds of tubs. Ventilate the bathroom, cover the floors, and put on protective gear. Open up all the windows and put a fan in the bathroom to ventilate it.


Cover the floors with heavy-duty plastic sheets to keep them safe during the refinishing process. Put on a face mask and goggles. You can also drape plastic sheets over fixtures like the toilet and sink to protect them. Clean the bathtub with the cleaner from the kit. Read the directions on the cleaner to apply it to the tub and use a sponge to scrub the tub clean


Rinse the tub out, then go over it with the sponge and cleaner 2 more times to remove any soap scum and stains before you refinish it. If your kit did not come with cleaner, then purchase an industrial strength bathtub cleaner to use. Let the tub completely air dry, or speed up the process with towels and a hair dryer.


Sand the whole tub with the sandpaper in your kit to remove the old finish. Start with the lowest-grit sandpaper from your refinishing kit and sand the whole surface of the tub in circular motions by hand, or with an electric sander. Work your way up to the highest-grit sandpaper in your kit until the tub is completely smooth.

How to Replace a Bathroom Faucet Handle?

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Sometimes the handle of a bathroom faucet is put on incorrectly so it doesn’t rest in the correct position when the faucet is off. Other times the faucet handle may crack, discolor or otherwise look old, while still functioning. In either of these cases, the faucet handle can be replaced with a new one, without replacing the rest of the faucet.

Turn off the water supply to the faucet. Look beneath the sink for a valve close to the wall on the same side as the handle you are replacing. If this is a single handle faucet, turn off both supplies. When you locate them, twist the water supply valve or valves tightly to the right.

Test the faucet to ensure no water comes out when the handle to be replaced is turned. Examine the cap or top of the handle. Typically faucet handles have a false top or cap. This may be a porcelain cap that reads “hot” or “cold,” or it may be a metal cap in the same finish as the rest of the handle. Use a flat head screwdriver to loosen the cap and pry it up.

Look at the area hidden beneath the cap for a screw. Use the appropriate screwdriver to loosen and remove this screw. Lift off the handle of the faucet from its stem. Look at the back of the escutcheon or decorative cover at the bottom of the handle. There should be a very small hole with an Allen key screw in the back. Use an Allen key to loosen and remove this screw.

Lift the escutcheon off of the counter. The interior valve of the faucet should now be visible. Place a new escutcheon over the valve. Line up the screw at the back and tighten it down so the escutcheon does not move. Place the handle over the top of the valve so it sits on the escutcheon. Twist it completely to the “on” position and back off to make sure it is positioned properly.

Insert a screw into the top of the handle and tighten it down. Place the cover or cap into the top of the handle. If the cap reads “hot”, “color” or another word, line this up to face you. Snap the cap down into the cap of the faucet. Turn on the water supply and test the handle.