Can You Paint A Plastic Bathtub

Plastic bathtubs are generally long-lasting. However, it’s regular for the soap buildup, hard water, and other residues to degrade the conclude and luster, making your plastic bathtub show up filthy, drab, and old. Whilst it may be attractive to interchange your tub, this is the two a luxurious and time-taking process.

You can paint a plastic bathtub to assist revive or modernize it. Over time, bathtubs become tainted with oils that our our bodies obviously release, and portray it provides a brand new experience of hygiene. Or, paint it a certain colour to provide a clean and more relaxing ambiance for your bathroom.

In this article, I’ll clarify how you may paint your plastic bathtub, including the best the way to paint it, how a lot time this project takes, the popular paints to use, and more.

Best Thanks to Paint Your Plastic Bathtub

Painting your bathtub is an extremely realistic option; however, it calls for a special paint. You can’t just use the leftover paints from different DIY jobs that you have sitting on your basement or shed. You know your bathtub would be packed with water a lot of the time, hence, you’ll need a paint proof against water to guard it from peeling. Unfortunately, this is whatever steady paint won’t be capable of achieve.

The therapy is to purchase a specialized kit created for refinishing plastic tubs, that will comprise a water-resistant paint to use, or seek out a water-resistant paint of your preference. You can usually discover these at your nearby hardware or supply store or an e-commerce site.

There are quite a few refinishing kits for all types of tubs accessible on the market, so you’re sure to locate whatever that’ll work for you. Those kits include varied items compatible together with your bathtub material. Ultimately, the goal is to create a secure bond to the present finish, but you’re free to pick and select as you see fit.

Epoxy is suggested for plastic and fiberglass, and acrylic enamel is also a feasible option. it’s wise to do your homework to determine what matches your budget. Also, each refinishing package will emit detrimental fumes while used, so take adequate measures before attempting this portray assignment on your own.

Use of a Restoration Kit to Paint a Bathtub

As formerly mentioned, altering your bathtub’s colour will almost necessarily necessitate the use of a readymade kit. These kits incorporate a chemical substance that’ll restore the finish of your bathtub and may well be acquired at your regional ironmongery store or on-line vendors.

The following goods are usually protected in a finishing kit:

• Between 8 to 16 ounces of refinishing paint
• A primer in liquid form
• Etching cleanser for hardeners
• Tack rag
• Sandpaper
• Tray rollers
• Anti-slip agent
• Foam brush

Necessary Precautions Earlier than Portray Your Bathtub

Wearing a vented masks and preserving the gap you’re working in well aired are highly recommended earlier than beginning this project. The paint emits unsafe fumes; therefore, you need to take these precautions. Also, be sure to clean your plastic bathtub thoroughly and sand it properly, as this can save you numerous money and time ultimately by way of preventing you from having to repaint.

How Lengthy It Takes to Paint a Plastic Bathtub

Painting a plastic bathtub can take round 1 to 2 days for the paint to correctly dry, with around 4 hours spent on eliminating the former bathtub’s finish. Retain in mind, the more time you spend cleansing and sanding the existing floor earlier than using the refinishing paint, the higher the paint will stay.

Best Appropriate Paints for Plastic Bathtubs

Acrylic paint such as the RTG Supply Co. Refinishing Paint (available on Amazon) is the only option to restore the tub’s common elegance. Its non-toxic formulation dries quick and creates a finish with a great resistance to high water temperatures.

However, before employing the acrylic tooth on plastic bathtubs, they ought to be chemically wiped clean to take off soap scum, mineral deposits, and any grease. If you’re going to apply traditional acrylic paint, you’ll have to top the skin with a primer made particularly for plastic, as it helps the paint persist with the skin better.

Evenly practice the primer to a accurately sanded, well-dried, and chemically wiped clean plastic tub. Hold in mind, if the acrylic paint is exclusively made for plastic surfaces, it can be put straight over the bottom coat.

Another amazing option is epoxy. Not like traditional indoors paint, which cracks and peels when uncovered everyday to hot water and different material, epoxy has perfect adhesion and is quite durable if cured. With epoxy paints, You’ll paint no longer simply the bath yet surrounding tiles also.

How to Paint a Plastic Bathtub

Once you recognize what the best paint to apply to your bathtub and what precautions should be taken, you’re all set to paint your historic bathtub and turn it into a wholly renewed bathing room fitting.

Let’s cross through the step by step approach for this project:

1. Remove soap scum, grease, and grime from the surface of your plastic bathtub utilizing your steady cleaner.
2. To make the paint stick better, scuff-sand the outside with 200-grit sandpaper. Sand until the sandpaper is totally worn away. After that, use hot water to wash away the sand dust out of your tub. Enable for thorough drying.
3. Use epoxy filler to plug in cracks, holes, and crease out the dents, then smooth them out with a putty knife. Enable 24 hours for the epoxy to dry.
4. Use paper tape to avoid the primer from getting on surrounding knobs, tiles, and other fittings.
5. If you’re using paints that have been specially designed to stick to plastics, skip the priming of the surface. For a faster job, I recommend both Krylon Plastic Paint or Rust-Oleum Paint For Plastic Spray because their exceptional bond formulation don’t require you sand or best the plastic surface.
6. Applying primer or a bonding agent is your next step earlier than painting. This would be essential to reaching a superb finishing. Permit at least 2 to three hours for the primer to dry earlier than utilizing your selected color.
7. Mix and shake the paint then pour a third of it into a plastic paint tray. Make sure to comply with all directions given for mixing.
8. Apply the paint using a broom to places that are hard to reach. This contains corners, drains, and round fittings.
9. Using a paint roller, coat the remainder of your bathtub with the paint. Apply 3 coats, allowing 1 to 2 hours between each program to dry.
10. Remove the paper tape and look forward to your bathtub to dry. Wait two complete days for it to utterly dry before utilizing your reworked tub.

Conclusion

The good news is that you may obviously paint your plastic bathtub. Many have discovered that portray plastic tubs at domestic can assist provide an previous bathtub new life. This can be a amazing strategy to conceal historic stains and give your bathroom a clean look.

However, you ought to take care to perform each step properly, starting with cleaning and sanding the surface accurately before utilizing primer. Also, be sure to frivolously observe all three coats of paint and allow the tub to dry totally earlier than use.