Most of my customers will ask me what needs to be done to prepare for refinishing? They want to not only make my job as easy as possible for me but also want to obtain the absolute best results possible.
The truth is there are a few tips and tricks you can do and some information you should know to make the refinishing process go smooth and add years of life to the refinished fixture. Since I mentioned years of life, let me explain what is meant. This would be the period of time before the fixture would need to be refinished again. Please don't think once an item is refinished it is doomed. All we are doing is adding life back into the bathtub, tile, shower or vanity and giving it a like new appearance.

When having your bathtub, shower, tile or vanity refinished please remember any loose dust is not going to be a friend to the refinishing process. The best thing you can do the night before or the morning of is sweep the bathroom floor and vacuum any carpeting around the bathtub area. This will prevent air from making the dust airborne and settling on the newly refinished surface.
The great thing about synthetic porcelain is the top layer will flash dry very quick so keeping particles and dust off the prepared surface is the important part. Once it is refinished the surface will cure within minutes (unlike the epoxy kits that stay tacky for up to 3 days according to the manufacturer).

I know some of my customers want to know what to expect when the refinishing process begins. There will be a couple of variations that depend on the type of surface being finished. In other words cultured marble, plastic, acrylic and fiberglass will sill be etched but it wont be etches by the same means as Porcelain or ceramic tile.
However, the important thing to know is I will mechanically etch the surface and never use any kind of harmful acid like what was used in the old days of bathtub refinishing.
You can also expect me to be in a good mood, joyful and appreciative of the work.

After the surface is etched I will use a machine called an H.V.L.P. sprayer. It is designed for no dust spraying. It is a fine finish sprayer and allows me to control the air pressure which is usually set at 2pounds. Very low air pressure that applies a high volume of coating is like an airbrush of sorts. It allows my to apply the molecular bonding solution in an even layer then using small circular motions it is hand rubbed into the open pores caused by etching of the old surface.

Bathtub Refinishing, Arlington in Dallas County - Today I was able to help out a family that literally had to have the bathtub refinished but they were being quoted huge prices by other companies to strip the old epoxy off the bathtub. The man contacted me and simply said "I don't have the money to pay an extra $250 on top of the refinishing cost to strip all the old bathtub paint off". The bathtub had to be refurbished to pass inspection and like most of us the man was on a budget and had a Family. I understood! I knew stripping that tub would take about an hour extra so we worked out a day that was slow for me and worked out for him so I could spend the extra time and not be rushed. I have posted the Before / After pictures below. He was very appreciative and I not only was able to leave him with a product that looked great, but a bathtub that will give him years of great looks and service. I also appreciated the work and his willingness to work with me so I could refinish his bathtub on a day that I normally would have nothing to do. It was a win, win situation for both of us.
    If you notice on the pictures below the old paint was yellow. That is a sign of epoxy paint. It will yellow when bleach is used on it. Which is one of many reasons the bathtub refinishing industry stopped using epoxy paint years ago! It is cheap. However, It also looks "painted", it will yellow when bleach is used on it .... and bleach is in almost all bathroom cleaners that I know of. I applied synthetic porcelain to the bathtub and instantly updated the bathroom for him within about 3 hours.