You love everything about your home except for the bathroom. What were the old owners thinking when they bought that salmon pink bathtub and matching vanity sink? Why those bland looking tiles? You looked into replacing them a couple of years ago, but it was really too expensive. Then you heard about bathroom resurfacing kits. "How hard can it be?" you asked yourself. Well, that depends on the results you hope to get.

How Hard Can it Be?

Resurfacing a hard, glossy surface like a bathtub or wall tiles is quite different from repainting a wall. When you apply paint to a wall using a roller and brush, you can get pretty satisfying results if you're careful. Take a closer look, though, and you'll see that what looks like a smooth surface from a distance is really dimpled and uneven. Now imagine this kind of surface on a hard, glossy bathtub and you can begin to imagine what a disaster awaits you if you try to resurface your tiles, bathtub or sink using an inexpensive kit.

There's a reason why car bodies and other smooth, hard surfaces are spray painted. There's also a reason why most people take their cars to the experts when they need body work done on them or want them painted a different colour. Spray painting is the only way to get perfectly smooth, even results, but the technique is not foolproof. The flow has to be adjusted perfectly and applied evenly or blotches, streaks and runs will appear. If a gloss paint is being applied, even the smallest imperfections stand out like the proverbial "sore thumb." If you don't believe me, go ahead and try it yourself. I was a cabinetmaker for years and did a lot of spray painting myself, but when it came to gloss, I took my work to the experts. The little extra it cost me was more than made up for by the flawless results.

What Gives Bathroom Resurfacing a Bad Name?

Have you ever seen a tiled wall that has been painted over with a roller and brush or a bathtub that has been resurfaced by an amateur? They're easy to spot, aren't they? It's jobs like these that give bathroom resurfacing a bad name. If you have ever been in a bathroom that has been resurfaced by an expert, you wouldn't know it unless the owner of the house told you. The results are that good.

But what about price? The whole reason for resurfacing instead of replacing is to save money, but if you hire an expert instead of giving it a go yourself, won't it be nearly as expensive as buying new? Actually, the cost of resurfacing a bathtub is about a quarter of what it costs to buy and install a new bath. Even better, the technician can be in and out in a matter of hours and as soon as the finish cures (2 days at most and sometimes much less), you're good to go.

Not Convinced?

If you're not convinced yet, think about this: when you have your resurfacing done by an expert, the work will come with a warranty. If anything goes wrong within the warranty period, the bathroom resurfacing specialist will fix it for you. If you tackle the job yourself and something goes wrong, you have only yourself to blame. Although warranty periods differ, if you get the job done by the pros, you can expect your tub, sink or tiles to still be looking great for up to 15 years. That's a lot of years for a fraction of the cost of new and you won't have to look at that salmon coloured tub any more and wonder,  "What were they thinking?" For that matter, you won't have to look at the streaks and runs on your hand painted bathtub and wonder, "What was I thinking?"