Bathtubs endure daily use and accumulate quite a lot of wear and tear. Your tub will often start getting scratched, cracked or even gouged. Now that you're tired of your old tub, what can be done? You can buy a new bathtub, but you'll spend a quite a bit:
* A new bathtub can be
quite expensive.
* Bathtub removal is
not trivial, so you will need to hire a professional.
* Similarly, bathtub installation requires some skill, so you will probably
need to hire someone again.
* There can be a significant amount of time involved (days or even weeks), when
the bathtub will be completely unavailable.
Depending on what shape your bath tub is in, you may have several simpler and less expensive options. Let's examine them now...
Before You Buy A New Tub, Look At These Choices
1. Bathtub Repainting: You can have your tub repainted. Kits for doing it yourself are available, but if you're not handy, it would be better to find a pro. Still, this is a relatively quick 1 day process, and easier on the wallet. This is an easy way to give your bathtub a great new look.
2. Bathtub Reglazing: This is probably the most reliable way to give your tub another twenty years of life. Refinishing is also usually done within a day.
3. New Bathtub Lining: A liner, or new outer surface, is another quick way to make your tub look great.
4. Tub Surrounds: These are walls around the tub, so they do not actually do anything to improve the bathtub itself, but instead dress up the surrounding area.
Very often, one of the above alternatives will work just fine, but sometimes, nothing but replacing the tub completely will work.