bungalowbabe

Three years ago I bought a re-glazed clawfoot tub when I re-built my bathroom. It looked fabulous. For about 6 months... Little dings appeared at first and now in the last 6 months they are sprouting like weeds. They are all on the bottom and up the first 6" up.

We don't bang anything around in there - the tub is only used by adults, so no toys or metal bashing going on.

The only thing I can imagine is that perhaps my hot water tank is set too hot (which I know it is, and I do use the telephone shower attachment a lot for rinsing the tub) and one of the bathers is very heavy.


So I have three questions:
1: can the tub be reglazed in place?
2: what should I ensure in terms of material/expertise when looking for a repari contractor?
3: is this a built in hazard of the re-coating process and means I should expect having to refinish this thing every 3 or 4 years?

Thank you for any suggestions!

Holly

Wuzzat?

Here's a starting point.
Plumbing fixture surface restoration process - US Patent 6383557 Description
And look at the other patent references [the 'prior art'] on the right side. Seems like seven previous patents are directly relevant.

Don't bother reading the claims for any of these.

Bud Cline

Jheeeezh! That thing reads like the constitution of India.


In my experience those coatings just don't work that good. I've seen many failed recoat jobs.

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Wuzzat?

How long do they last?
What makes them fail?

Bud Cline

Can't answer all that!

Saw one at a house I was working on when the cleaning lady was soaking the filters for the vent hood in some type of cleaner solution. When she drain the sink the coating separated from the sink at exactly the same level as the cleaning liquid had been sitting. Have no idea what was used in the soaking solution. The sink had been newly coated about a month before.

A few other jobs have turned up nicks and chips from kids playing in the tubs with toys.

On a few occasions I have also seen water stains from dripping faucets in tubs.

Then there have been a few fish-eyes which is usually a sign of poor cleaning and prepping workmanship on the part of the installer.

I'm afraid I would be scared away from those products.

All of those jobs were done by professional companies and not the DIY crap sold at the big box stores.

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bungalowbabe

Well it sounds as if I have my answer.. and that is that this lovely old tub will be the bane of my existence and require regular upkeep. I have been meticulous in caring for it and yet it is sprouting little spidery cracks that eventually end up with a bare center.

I shall live with it. And take my wine glass into the tub with me so that I have something to focus on besides the tub.

Cheers,
Holly

frozenstar

Whew that's a pretty long article to read Wuzzat..

A friend of mine encountered what Bud encountered and told me as well that recoat jobs doesn't usually work on that.

bungalowbabe

Thank you all for the depressing answers to my problem. I will now embark on a search for a 5' clawfoot tub that has not been reglazed. While it may not have that blinding sheen, it also won't fall to pieces.

I don't understand how with the technology available to us, a serviceable coating seems to elude the best minds. It just doesn't make sense. What the heck was the original process and why can that not be replicated??? Grrrrrrr!

Cheers,
Holly

Wuzzat?

Well, depending on where you live you might find a factory that does this. The Thomas Register
ThomasNet® - CNC Machining, Metal Stamping, Gaskets, Fasteners and other industrial products and services.
lists companies and what they do. The next thing is, will the company take on this one job and do they have a set-up charge?

Or you could try some of the chemicals listed in the patent description. The latest patent is supposed to overcome the shortcomings of the prior patents & methods.

Or you could do a Web search for the chemicals and recoat it yourself as often as necessary, if they will sell to other than a contractor. This job on this 300 pound tub should probably be done outside, wearing protective clothing.

If you hit on a durable method you'll be famous!

Bud Cline

This beast was for sale in my neck of the woods a few months ago. They took it out and replaced it with a larger garden tub.

The legs aren't in exactly the right place in the picture. I stood them where they are and stood-up the gold-plated supplies for the picture but you can see how it is supposed to work. The tub is in excellant condition (or it was) when we did the remodel.

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