Bathtub Refinishing,Dallas
Today in Dallas, Tx. I helped a Gentleman get his bathtub looking good after he had replaced the tile around the bathtub a few months ago. What he said I actually hear on a regular basis "I didn't think the bathtub looked that bad until the new tile was installed."
Dallas Bathtubs
Dallas Bathtubs
Site Updated 08/15/18
Bathtub, Tile, Vanity Refinishing Dallas
Dallas bathtub refinishing has broken into two categories. On one side we have bathtub, tile and vanity painting which would really be the Apartment grade work and has not changed much since the 1990's. It is painting the surface with epoxy paint. On the other side we have tried and tested Synthetic Porcelain. It is etched into the old surface, not painted on top of the old surface. It is integrated into the surface so it does not peel or discolor and is backed by an unheard of 10 year Warranty!! This is a Permanent solution to worn, damaged or outdated bathtub, shower and tiles surfaces. I have outlined the cons of doing this in the pages and blogs attached to this site. Below I have attached a short (less then 2 min.) video explanation of the difference in the two categories.
Dallas bathtub pros
Dallas bathtub pros
Bathtub Refinishing DFW
I would like to also touch on a topic that sometimes goes overlooked. Why the equipment used for bathtub refinishing is so important. Professionals will use an H.V.L.P. applicator, which stands for high volume low pressure. This system is NOT a gun hooked up to an air compressor (even tho that too is a type of h.v.l.p. such as automotive painting. This system is designed for very fine finish detail work. The gun alone is over $300 and like most things you get what you pay for. The gun has an air diffuse knob, a volume control knob and pattern control knob. The compressor itself only produces a maximum of 7 pounds of air. That is way too much for our industry but the compressor is also used by the truck bed liner industry such as the Rino-liner or Tuff liner products. This heavier rubbery material will take more 'push' to get the product to lay right. We are able to adjust the air pressure down to about 2 pounds. This will gently lay the coating down and the heated air from the compressor pulls all the moisture out of the air supplying the spray gun.
The problem with using a regular air compressor and a high pressure H.V.L.P. spray gun is actually two fold. First it uses a lot of air that will atomize the coating into a mist and that mist will cause a fog that gets all over the home and settles back onto the work causing a very rough surface. The high pressure air compressors will also push humidity from the air through the hose and gun mixing the coating with water and that causes a ton of problems including pitting in the new surface and prevents the new surface from bonding correctly.
Bathtub Refinishing Dallas
I would like to also touch on a topic that sometimes goes overlooked. Why the equipment used for bathtub refinishing is so important. Professionals will use an H.V.L.P. applicator, which stands for high volume low pressure. This system is NOT a gun hooked up to an air compressor (even tho that too is a type of h.v.l.p. such as automotive painting. This system is designed for very fine finish detail work. The gun alone is over $300 and like most things you get what you pay for. The gun has an air diffuse knob, a volume control knob and pattern control knob. The compressor itself only produces a maximum of 7 pounds of air. That is way too much for our industry but the compressor is also used by the truck bed liner industry such as the Rino-liner or Tuff liner products. This heavier rubbery material will take more 'push' to get the product to lay right. We are able to adjust the air pressure down to about 2 pounds. This will gently lay the coating down and the heated air from the compressor pulls all the moisture out of the air supplying the spray gun.
The problem with using a regular air compressor and a high pressure H.V.L.P. spray gun is actually two fold. First it uses a lot of air that will atomize the coating into a mist and that mist will cause a fog that gets all over the home and settles back onto the work causing a very rough surface. The high pressure air compressors will also push humidity from the air through the hose and gun mixing the coating with water and that causes a ton of problems including pitting in the new surface and prevents the new surface from bonding correctly.
Bathtub Refinishing Dallas
Does Every Refinishing pro Use The Same Products and Coatings
Just like virtually all other businesses there are people out there still using inferior products such as Epoxy and I have seen latex wall paint used and Kilz used to paint bathtubs. There is a video on the internet of a guy using Krylon paint! Please understand Refinishing is far more than simply painting. The surface has to be prepared and this is accomplished thru a synergistic approach.
- Chemical cleaning agents that will melt the soap and oil residue from the surface. Without leaving a residue behind itself.
- The surface must then be etched. Etching is the process of creating microscopic pores in literally every square inch of the old surface.
- The surface is then cleaned again to remove any dust created by the etching process.
- The surface is then treated with a molecular bonding agent using nano technology so it bonds on a molecular level. This is the product that pulls the finish coat into the pores of the etching process. There are a lot of refinishing pro's that believe this process alone can provide a great looking surface. To be honest they are partially correct. An experienced refinishing technician can make the surface look pretty good. However, the key is making it last! I still see on a weekly basis projects that were refinished only a few weeks ago and the coating is literally peeling off in sheets. I mean areas 2 to 3 feet in diameter just pulling off with nothing more than the pressure of rising bath water! Dallas Bathtubs
- The truth is there is a technique and a science to refinishing.
- I simply don't skip steps. Steps that other refinishers say are a waste of time... o.k. so what? At worst I am wasting 30 minutes. If that is the only drawback and I am definitely not afraid of a little hard work then I will continue to waste that time because I feel it is not a waste of time. I feel it all works together in a synergistic process that builds on the other step and as each step is accomplished the end result is simply stronger than it would be if any one of the steps were skipped.
