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الاثنين، 18 سبتمبر 2017

Get A Bathtub Resurface Before Tossing Out A Gem

By Betty Brown


These are great days for anyone who dreams of their own home improvement projects. Some couples desire nothing more than to find an ancient old house, grown over with vines and forgotten for decades, so they can turn it into a dream home. For anyone in this market, they just might come across what looks like a junkie, old claw-foot tub, but a bathtub resurface is truly all it needs.

Porcelain was the standard material for tubs and sinks for many years. In the construction boom of the 70s and 80s, this material gave way to cheaper acrylics and fiberglass. In fact, most people do not even know that their tubs are made of acrylics, and many still use the term porcelain when referring to bathtubs and sinks.

Porcelain was a baked-on glass glaze which was actually covering a cast iron tub. These were extremely heavy, and over time they could sag to the point that they were dangerously heavy when filled with water. The manufactured housing industry introduced acrylic garden tubs in their fancy glamour bathrooms, and this trend traveled easily into the rest of the construction industry.

Many people never make use of bathtubs these days, so the demand for that item in a house is not the same. Newer homes usually have only one full bath, with the others having a shower stall only. Newer apartments often have no tubs at all, favoring the small showering enclosure that allows more space for a sink or other vanity options.

Home improvement buffs find it very easy, and reasonably inexpensive, to get modern acrylic shower or bath kits. In fact, this can be an excellent area to save on a home improvement budget, allowing one to spend more on stainless steel for the kitchen. It is unfortunate, however, that many old-style tubs have been junked before the homeowner had any idea that it was valuable.

If you own a home built in the 1960s or prior, then you just might have one of these claw-footed gems. Rather than throwing it out, you can easily purchase a kit which resurfaces the porcelain, making it smooth and beautiful again. This is a much better plan for a home accent that is quickly becoming a thing of the past, and at the very least is a valuable antique.

Having an antique tub priced should be a priority for anyone lucky enough to become the surprise new owners. There are services which will sandblast the tub to the metal, then put a coating of newer materials that are even prettier than the ceramic. Should the homeowner be on a tight budget, there are kits available to them which allow them to paint a surface that should match the old tub.

It is a sad time for anyone who foolishly disposed of one of these tubs. In fact, one must wonder if it was actually trashed, or is a wise person working at the landfill tossed in their truck and took it home. The fact is, these tubs are going for thousands of dollars, their value more determined by their size and height than by the condition they are in.




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