Builders, realtors, and home remodelers call on me all the time for bathtub repair. If your bathtub (or sink, shower, counter top, appliance) has chips, scratches, stains, burns, or cracks, you can save yourself time and money by calling on Striking Image Porcelain Refinishing. I’m Chris Duty, owner of Striking Image, and I want to help you understand what porcelain refinishing and chip repair can do for you. Here are some common questions that I get asked.
“Do bathtub repairs look good?”
Better than new in most cases. In fact, I work for many high-end custom home builders in the DFW metroplex. In a new home, bathtubs are installed early during the construction process because they must be tested, over time, for leaks. If a tub does leak, the builder wants to find it before carpet, tile, and sheet rock are installed. However, because bathtubs (and shower pans) are in a house throughout the construction process, they take a serious beating. Everyone from carpenters to tile and carpet installers throw debris into the tub for months. Then, once the tub is cleaned out, the plumber and painters usually step all over it with gritty, grimy workboots. They drop tools, bricks, and just about everything else in the tub. As you can imagine, that new tub no longer looks new by the time the homeowners are ready for a walk through. That’s when builders call on me. Porcelain refinishing and chip repair is an accepted and respected alternative to replacing a bathtub — even in a brand new home! So yes, the results look sensational.
“Is it smelly and messy?”
Chip repair is quick and easy. It takes me less than one hour in most cases. Refinishing a sink, bathtub, counter, or shower takes longer — a few hours. The two-component polyurethane process I use is sprayed onto a surface that’s been prepared with etching acid. There is some odor, but I open windows and use fans to reduce the smell. Don’t worry about paint overspray. I line the walls and floors with a static paper that attracts overspray, and I put filters on my fans to draw in overspray. These precautionary measures work. You’ll have a beautifully refinished tub, and you won’t even notice that I was ever there.
“How long will I be without my bathtub?”
I recommend that, if your home is occupied, you leave one working bathroom available. For instance, if you have two full baths and you want both tubs refinished, I’ll do one, then a few days later, I’ll do the next. A refinished surface needs 48 hours to fully cure (harden).
“Will a refinished bathtub last very long?”
It is my experience that people who follow my care instructions and do not use abrasive cleansers can enjoy their refinished tub for 10 or 20 years. Like porcelain, a refinished surface can chip if you drop something heavy on it. Also like porcelain, the surface can wear down and discolor if you use harsh, abrasive cleansers. My care instructions recommend products like Soft Scrub that do not etch a tub’s surface. Caring for a refinished tub is easy, and just like everything else in life, if you take care of it, it will last longer.
Striking Image Porcelain Refinishing has had a stellar reputation in the Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton area for nearly a decade. Located in Roanoke, I serve homeowners, realtors, interior designers, and builders in Southlake, Grapevine, Hurst, Euless, Bedford, and surrounding communities. My work comes with a limited warranty, as well, and I’ll be happy to provide professional references upon request. Call me, Chris, at 940-395-1406, or email me, today for a free estimate.
