This week we had a conversation with Durabath Reemaillage de Bain Montreal and we asked them if it’s really worth it to have your bath painted.
They have been providing bath refinishing services in Montreal for a few years now and it’s not as easy as saying yes or no.
For commercial businesses like hotels and property management companies the needs are different. For hotels, the image is very important. Even though there is definite cost savings, the quality doesn’t always meet their standards. Many hotels decide to replace it completely because many refinishing companies use chemicals that are very toxic. They can’t have this odor in their hotels because it would affect their ratings. Many customers give reviews on their experience and if they had to endure these odors during their stay would definitely affect their reviews.
As a homeowner, there are a few reasons why you would consider reglazing your bathtub:
- You have an old tub with a color you don’t like, it could be pink or yellow for example.
- You recently renovated your bathroom and changed your wall tiles but decided to leave the bath to save on costs. Now you realize that the bath makes everything else look old.
- You have an old bath that has lost its shine through normal wear and tear.
There are only 2 options available for you. You can either replace the tub completely or reglaze the bath. Let’s take a look at both options and you can decide which one makes sense for you.
Option 1 – Bath Replacement
- Cost – The average cost to replace a tub is over $3500.
- Time – A bath renovation project like this can take between 3 – 5 days (or more) to complete.
- What’s needed – Unless you can perform this renovation yourself you will need to hire a professional. They will have to break the tile walls, floor and remove the bath. They will then have to re-install a new bath and rebuild everything again.
Option 2 – Bath Refinishing
- Cost – The average cost to refinish a tub is about $500 if you hire a professional. And under $200 if you Do It Yourself using a DIY Bath Resurfacing Kit.
- Time – The process to refinish a bath takes between 3 – 4 hours. It takes 2 full days for the enamel or epoxy to cure.
- What’s needed – All old caulking and drain overflow needs to be removed. The surface of the tub has to be prepared and cleaned. The bath and surrounding area needs to be protected. The paint has to be applied. The area has to be cleaned. 48 hours later you have a new bath.
In both situations mentioned above, 95% of the time the bath is still perfectly functional.
There are also other factors to consider. Before the pandemic it was quite easy to get a new bathtub from your local hardware store or bath supplies store. But now, it’s harder to get a new bathtub and the wait time to receive it takes much longer. There are a lot of backorders from suppliers.
Also, many companies have shortages of workers which means that the time it takes to refinish a bath is much longer. There shortages of supplies is causing many people to hire professional refinishers but it can’t be fulfilled immediately and many customers have to wait several weeks or months.
Is Bath Reglazing Really Worth It?
From a cost savings perspective, resurfacing your bath is definitely worth it. But you just need to consider what’s important for you and all the other factors.
