How to Paint a Bathtub

My bathtub really was in poor shape, so I grabbed some special tub and tile paint to give it a new look.

I wish I could say it was a quick "paint and done" project, but it really wasn't. I prepped the bathtub for two full days before I started painting. Step one was filling the chips with an epoxy putty.

Then there was a litany of cleaning steps: 1) clean with bleach and water, 2) Clean with abrasive cleaner, 3) Scrub with lime-away and an abrasive pad. Since I was really worried about the paint adhering to the tub, I was diligent in doing these steps thoroughly, so it took awhile.

I was worried removing the caulk would take awhile too, but it actually went quickly compared to everything else. After I'd taken the caulk off, I sanded the entire tub with high grit sandpaper.

At this point, I was starting to feel like I was close to actually painting. I removed the drain, and then taped up the faucets and nearby walls.

Finally, it was time to paint. This stuff smells awful, so I put a fan in the window to help ventilate the room.

I used Rustoleum's Tub and Tile kit. It took three coats to cover the bathtub and surround, which used up two kits of the paint. I have plenty of tips and tricks on using this stuff over in the full blog post, so be sure to check it out if you're thinking of doing your own tub!

A few days later, I caulked the tub. Then the bathtub was done!

It looks so much better than before! - no more chips, stains, or holes! I'm not going to say the process was easy, but it was totally worth it!

Plus, it matches my new bathroom super well! I'm not completely done yet, but you can go get a sneak peak of the bathroom over on my DIY Vanity Lights post (which were an amazing scrap wood/items project themselves!)