SURFACE DOCTOR

The tub had discolored unevenly from light almond to brown in spots. We were putting in new counters, mirrors, faucets and flooring so decided to redo the tub also. We did not want to replumb and there was no new replacement 3 piece tub and surrounds that we liked, so we decided to use Surface Doctor. I called the vendor a few times to see if I could see some of their work. He sent me to an antique store to see a claw foot tub that he had coated. The antique tub quality coating was not perfect. He assured me that the product on my tub would look better as the condition of old tubs were so bad to start with. I had to take all the plumbing fixtures off the tub before they arrived. They arrived on time and taped off all the walls, the floor and the door opening so that all that was showing was the tub. They sanded the tub first and then placed an exhaust fan in the door plastic closure and ran the flexible exhaust duct out the nearest bedroom window. They then painted the tub using what they described as similar to automotive paint. It was pretty strong smelling, even with the exhaust fan sucking all the bathroom air outside through the bedroom window. After cleaning up I noticed that there was paint on the sheet vinyl floor that had worked around or through the plastic sheeting they placed on the floor. It is a good thing that the flooring was to be replaced the next week or that would have been a problem. The vendor accidentally took the tub drain with him when he left. I called him when I discovered it but he did not return my several heated calls for about a day. By then I had made several trips to the hardware store before I found a replacement drain. The new surface of the tub was not smooth in several places. I called the vendor and he came out and polished the tub to an acceptable level. He responded quickly to my call. The tub cannot be used for a while after coating as the paint does not cure out for I think about a week. During this time the bathroom still had a strong paint odor. The tub has not been used a lot in the 16 months since painted, maybe an average of twice a week, but has held up well. The vendor stated that you need to be careful about cleaning the surface as it can scratch easily. The non-slip texture on the tub floor still seems to function, the paint did not round out the bumps. I would do this again and use the vendor again for the master bath tub, knowing what I was getting and being aware of the process as you do not have to tear out wall. But, it is messy, smelly and you have to stay out of the tub until the paint cures. But I think it saved me about $1500-2000 versus replacing the tub and surround.