Getting house ready to sell -- BathFitter or re-glaze tub? (buyers, tenant)

[hackwriter]

I am getting my house ready to sell. The house has a brand-new mid-range kitchen with granite and stainless, and a new upstairs bath, new hardwood flooring upstairs and the 1st floor hardwoods will be refinished. It has a 2-year-old low maintenance (cellular PVC) deck off the kitchen. New air conditioning. In short -- not a tear-down.

A few years ago I "updated" the 1st floor bath with a new tile floor, vanity, mirror, fan and lighting because I could not afford a complete gut job. It's a 1950's bathroom with 4" black tile with mint green trim tile adhered to plaster walls. So gutting this bath would be a nightmare and I have no more money for remodeling.

The tub is mint green. I kid you not. It also has a 1" x 3" area where there is no finish anymore. No idea what the previous owners of the house did to it, but I obviously can't sell the house like this, not with so much other remodeling having been done.

I really have two choices -- have the tub glazed professionally, probably white, and figure it will look pretty for new owners who will probably at some point want to do a gut-and-remodel anyway. OR, I can spend more and do a BathFitter, but I only would want the tub part, not an entire surround.

Has anyone else had to make this choice, and what did you decide? If you glazed, how did it hold up and what special care did it need? If you did BathFitter, was it water-tight? Did anyone do a liner just for the tub?

[sirk98]

I reglazed. Not everyone likes bath fitter look. A proper reglazing looks good as new. Only issue with reglazing is maintenance-- you cant use 'harsh' cleaners. That was a pain. But, if you're selling, that wont be your problem for long

[Metsfan53]

Reglaze....those bath fitters always look like a patch. Biggest pain with the reglaze is the process and a smelly house for a cpl days- less if you have a window. You can use fantastik or formula 409 to clean per the guy that did mine- YMMV. They can make it white or any other color really..Just ask if they can treat with non slip coating-since you can use suction cup bath mats going fwd- but you can use those little stick on non skid stickers.
Most places now can even change the color of the wall tile as well for a nominal fee- makes it look brand new and can update ot a more modern/neutral color scheme.

[newdude05]

do not use bath fitter (nothing more than a name that subcontracts to local contractors) or any bath cover type products for that matter.

1) Refitting a bathtub onto an existing one costs thousands of dollars more than reglaze. I was quoted $5000 for bathfitter type service from homedepot vs $400 to do a reglaze.

2) There are major potential problems trying to refit a bath on top of existing one if not done correctly, and you be surprised how often it is installed incorrectly. Basically if the measurement is off slightly or installed incorrectly, overtime the new "layer" will detach from the old tub, causing water to seep in between, so when you step on it it will move as it's acrylic, also you will have mold growing in there. All you ended up with is an expensive mess to clean up.

3) Go with bath reglaze, it's a few hundred dollars, and can be done in half a day. I have gone this route on 3 different old tubs on my investment property as well as my own apt, and they are all looking like new after years of use.

The only downside to reglaze is 1) you need to leave the window open to have it properly vented for 24 hours afterwards, a professional will have their own fan equipment + tube to pull the odor directly to a window outside as he work. 2) you cannot wash it with harsh bleach type chemicals, just soap water 3) need to wait 24 hours before use.

But compared to the headaches you will have with a bathtub refit and also the cost associated to install it, it's definitely the better choice.

You should just replace the bathtub with a new one otherwise if really want a "new" finish as oppose to do a refit.

[annerk]

Definitely reglaze. Bathfitter looks like a cheap motel.

We had ours done in the morning as we were getting ready to leave town for a week. Left the fan on while we were gone, came home to a new looking tub and no odor.

[sirk98]

the only other 'negative' with reglaze, is that its more expensive 2nd time around (I think the reglaze has a lifespan of 5-7 years?)... Not sure if there is a limit to the amount of time you can reglaze

[focus282]

I would reglaze -- if the rest of the house is new, the buyers will most likely want to gut the bathroom anyway to match the aesthetic of the other rooms.

We had to gut a bathroom with a bathfitter in it, and it was double the work because we had to remove the bathfitter and THEN remove the old 50s style tiles that it was covering up.

Save both of you the time and money and just reglaze.

[newdude05]

Originally Posted by sirk98

the only other 'negative' with reglaze, is that its more expensive 2nd time around (I think the reglaze has a lifespan of 5-7 years?)... Not sure if there is a limit to the amount of time you can reglaze

the contractor told me 10-20 year life span if we take it of it properly, ie dont wash it with bleach, dont drop metal objects on it to cause a dent. The earliest one we did was 5 years ago and it still looks new, not chipping not yellowed.

We told tenant not to use bleach to wash otherwise they would be responsible for the damage, no issues so far.

[sirk98]

After 5 years, mine definitely showed bare spots--particularly at the corners, where water would tend to hang out on the tub.

YMMV

[EANJ]

Originally Posted by hackwriter

I am getting my house ready to sell. The house has a brand-new mid-range kitchen with granite and stainless, and a new upstairs bath, new hardwood flooring upstairs and the 1st floor hardwoods will be refinished. It has a 2-year-old low maintenance (cellular PVC) deck off the kitchen. New air conditioning. In short -- not a tear-down.

A few years ago I "updated" the 1st floor bath with a new tile floor, vanity, mirror, fan and lighting because I could not afford a complete gut job. It's a 1950's bathroom with 4" black tile with mint green trim tile adhered to plaster walls. So gutting this bath would be a nightmare and I have no more money for remodeling.

The tub is mint green. I kid you not. It also has a 1" x 3" area where there is no finish anymore. No idea what the previous owners of the house did to it, but I obviously can't sell the house like this, not with so much other remodeling having been done.

I really have two choices -- have the tub glazed professionally, probably white, and figure it will look pretty for new owners who will probably at some point want to do a gut-and-remodel anyway. OR, I can spend more and do a BathFitter, but I only would want the tub part, not an entire surround.

Has anyone else had to make this choice, and what did you decide? If you glazed, how did it hold up and what special care did it need? If you did BathFitter, was it water-tight? Did anyone do a liner just for the tub?

Reglaze...for many of the reasons mentioned. Any perceived "disadvantages" are not applicable to you...as you are selling your house.

Originally Posted by Metsfan53

Reglaze....those bath fitters always look like a patch. Biggest pain with the reglaze is the process and a smelly house for a cpl days- less if you have a window. You can use fantastik or formula 409 to clean per the guy that did mine- YMMV. They can make it white or any other color really..Just ask if they can treat with non slip coating-since you can use suction cup bath mats going fwd- but you can use those little stick on non skid stickers.
Most places now can even change the color of the wall tile as well for a nominal fee- makes it look brand new and can update ot a more modern/neutral color scheme.

Very interesting...I didn't know that...thank you for the heads up...very good to know. Thanks.