A dropped tool or other object can chip a porcelain tub surface. Porcelain enamel is an attractive, durable bathtub surface, but it can chip. You can repair a chipped porcelain tub yourself with a few easily accessible materials. When the chip is in an area that is always dry, such as the outer surface of the tub, a single repair should do the job. However, the damage can need repeated repair when the chip is in the basin of the tub. Dry the chipped area thoroughly with a hairdryer. The surface must be completely dry so that the repair compound can stick. Sand the chipped area with 220-grit sandpaper until the edges are smooth. To avoid scratches on the surrounding porcelain surface, sand only in the damaged area. Clean the sanded area with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. Let the surface dry completely before you apply the porcelain repair compound. Mix the porcelain repair compound and high-gloss alkyd-based paint on a piece of clean tile or glass. Stir the mixture with a wooden dowel.

Add a little bit of color at a time until the mixture is the same color as the porcelain surface. Scoop up a small amount of the compound mixture with a putty knife and apply it to the center of the chipped area. Spread the compound toward the edges of the chip and gradually add compound until it covers the edges. Low Light Succulent TerrariumScrape off excess compound until the chip's edges are flush with the surrounding tub surface. Brussels Griffon Smooth Puppies For SaleLet the compound dry for at least 12 hours. Homes For Sale Around Corning ArBlend the edges of the dried compound with a cotton swab dipped in nail polish remover. Things You Will Need Hairdryer 220-grit sandpaper Rubbing alcohol Cotton swabs Clean piece of tile or glass Porcelain repair compound High-gloss alkyd-based paint Putty knife Straight-edge razor Nail polish remover Tip References Creative Homeowner: Repairing a Porcelain Enamel SinkIntellectual Property Library: Nail Polish Remover Containing Methyl Acetate Photo Credits Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images Suggest a Correction

Enter the characters you see below Sorry, we just need to make sure you're not a robot. For best results, please make sure your browser is accepting cookies. Type the characters you see in this image:Is your porcelain tub dull or hard to clean? Even with everyday normal use, the original porcelain finish on your bathtub can become dull, porous, and hard to clean after 15 - 20 years. The use of abrasive cleaners, like Comet or Ajax, can even more quickly degrade the surface. Bathtubs can also be easily cracked or chipped, making them in great need of porcelain tub refinishing. Miracle Method can provide porcelain bathtub repair to beautifully restore and repair porcelain bathtubs. Our process can even change the color of your tub to compliment any decorating plan. Choosing to refinish your bathtub, instead of replacing it, can save you up to 75% of the costs. According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, the average bathtub replacement can cost $3000 or more when all costs are considered!

Through the porcelain bathtub repair process, Miracle Method will not only save you money, but also your pitted, porous, chipped, and impossible-to-clean bathtubs can be made to look and feel like new, often in just one day! Think about that... in just a day, our porcelain tub refinishing professionals can extend the life of your porcelain bathtub for 10 - 15 years without the mess and cost of replacement! We can also repair porcelain sinks through our porcelain sink refinishing process. Miracle Method's refinishing process is so good that 9 out of 10 people can't tell any difference between a new porcelain tub and a refinished tub! Our finishes are incredibly durable and come in a variety of colors and textures to meet any decorating plan. You can be sure your refinished surface will last because only Miracle Method is the only company that uses MM-4, a non-acid bonding agent that chemically bonds the new surface to your tub. It’s why Miracle Method can offer a 5-year warranty against failure of adhesion on its bathtubs.

Advantages of porcelain tub refinishing: If you are considering replacing your porcelain bathtub, click on Find a Location or call our toll free locator number, 1-888-271-7690 to reach the nearest Miracle Method professional.We carry Factory Color-Matched Repair kits for all major brands sold in home improvement centers such as Lowes, Home Depot, Dixieline lumber, 84 lumber, Cimarron lumber, Sutherland Hardware, Ace Hardware, Menards, Do it Best, True Value, Sherwin Williams, Canadian Tire, Osh Supply, Orchard, Hughes, Ferguson, Pacific Sales and many other retail plumbing stores and outlets. When scouting out my current apartment, I was immediately drawn to the oversize bathtub — a real soaker from an era when bathing was savored and showers described rain. But my elation quickly ebbed once I eyed the rusty gully along its bottom, the work of a persistent leak that had eroded the white porcelain and exposed the tub's cast-iron shell. The building's super promised to fix it — and fix it he did, by slapping on some latex paint that flaked off every time I settled in for a warm bath.

The super's methods were suspect, but he was essentially on the right track in trying to save the tub by recoating its surface. "People very often rip out old tubs because they're slightly blemished," says Richard Trethewey, This Old House plumbing and heating expert. "But it's not easy to find an affordable bathtub with the look and size of a period tub." Each year refinishing shops across the country rescue thousands of tired old tubs and sinks by spraying on an acrylic urethane resin coating. Done correctly, either off-site in a shop or in place, refinishing is an effective and inexpensive solution for porcelain that is chipped, worn rough, or whose color has simply gone out of style. For an average cost of $350 to $500-a fraction of the $1,200 to $5,000 expense of a new cast-iron or steel tub installed — refinishers can make an antique fixture look brand new. "Professional refinishing can be a cost-efficient solution for that retro look," Trethewey says. That's what Jackie Metropoulos chose to do, and hired Scott Ayers, a technician for the Miracle Method franchise in Ludlow, Massachusetts, to resurface the old cast-iron bathtub in the 1919 house she and her husband, Matt, own in Longmeadow, Mass.

Their second-floor bathroom has a mix of old charm and new shine, but the mounted tub looks and feels weathered, with a green water mark under the faucet, several nasty dings on the lip, and a dull, gritty texture from years of improper cleaning. To prepare for refinishing, Ayers first carves away the caulk between the tub and the walls and floor with a putty knife, then removes the drain cover and masks off the faucets. The edge of the coating will be hidden behind the refitted fixtures and a new bead of caulk. Next he cleans the tub to remove the impurities that can hinder adhesion of the new finish: He scrapes off soap scum with a razor blade, then wipes on an alkaline emulsifier commonly used to strip wax off floors. He follows with an acid-based citric cleanser that neutralizes the emulsifier, and after rinsing and drying the tub, rubs it clean with denatured alcohol. Ayers, a former auto-body repairman, trowels fiberglass putty into deep chips and scratches, just as he would on a damaged car door.

(Had the tub been severely etched by cleanings with bleach, he would have had to putty the entire inner surface.) After the fiberglass hardens, he sands it with a coarse 36-grit paper to knock down high spots and an 80-grit paper to feather it out. He fills any pockmarks in the dried fiberglass with a polyester glazing putty, waits for it to set, then sands it in the same manner. After wiping with a tack cloth, he rags on a bonding agent that enables the acrylic urethane enamel to adhere to the porcelain's glasslike surface. Many refinishers first roughen up the tub's surface by brushing on a solution of hydrofluoric acid before using a bonding agent. Critics of acid etching point out that the acid must be properly neutralized before being washed down the drain or it can damage pipes, as well as the environment. Miracle Method's proprietary bonding agent eliminates the acid-etching step. As the bonding agent on the Metropouloses' tub sets, Ayers slips on a Tyvek suit and straps on an air mask connected to a ventilator so that he does not inhale paint vapor.

Using a spray gun, he applies three coats of acrylic urethane enamel, letting each dry for 10 to 15 minutes. With the help of a heat lamp, the finish cures in about one hour; a wet sanding with 1,000-grit paper smooths bumps and rough patches. After he dries off the surface with paper towels, he goes over it with a power buffer equipped with a foam pad and some auto compound to remove any scratches. Finally, he hand buffs the tub to a shiny luster with a soft cloth and polymer glaze car wax. Eight hours after arriving at the Metropouloses' house, his work is done. They'll be able to slip into a bath later that night. Miracle Method, like many refinishing companies, offers a five-year warranty. But says Diane Robbins, co-owner of the franchise that resurfaced Jackie's tub, with proper care and maintenance (nonabrasive and bleach-free cleaners only), a refinsished tub surface should last 15 to 20 years. And while that's a few years short of the five decades you can expect from new porcelain, it sure beats buying a tub that will never be historically authentic.