Refinishing my bathtub with a DIY kit was a total disaster

Used one of those $80 epoxy kits from the hardware store last weekend. Followed the instructions exactly, sanded, cleaned, waited for cure time. Day three and it's already peeling near the drain. Guess I should have just paid the $400 for a professional to spray it. Anyone else had one of these kits fail on them?

3 comments

3 Comments

shanes6613d ago

Ah man that's a bummer to hear. I had the exact same thing happen with one of those kits a few years back. What finally worked for me was spending way more time on the prep work than the instructions said. I sanded the whole tub down with a rough grit, then cleaned it with acetone instead of just soap and water. Also made sure it was totally dry for a full 24 hours before I even opened the paint. The trick that really helped was using a separate epoxy primer first, not just the kit's paint. Then I put on three thin coats of the epoxy instead of one thick one. Let each coat dry overnight in between. That tub lasted me almost four years before I sold the house. You might be able to salvage it by sanding the peeling spot down and touching it up with that primer and extra coats.

caleb_bell513d ago

Shane's got the right idea but one thing I noticed - you mentioned sanding with a rough grit first and that can actually cause problems if you go too aggressive. You want to start with like 80 or 100 grit, not 40 grit or something that'll leave deep scratches. Those grooves will show right through the epoxy. Also acetone is STRONG stuff, it works but make sure you wear gloves and have a fan going because those fumes will mess you up. The primer step is spot on though, that's the real secret most people skip.

lilyt2313d ago

I read somewhere that 40 grit is mostly for stripping thick paint, not prepping surfaces for epoxy. Definitely stick to 100 grit or even 120 if you want a smoother finish underneath.