Shower and Tub Surrounds in Your Home

The surrounds of your tub or shower – the walls that make up this area of your bathroom – are something that you will inevitably see every single day in your home. Over time, the surfaces of your shower surrounds, through use, cleaning, and general age will become porous and difficult to keep clean.

Resurfacing your shower surrounds is a great alternative to buying an entirely new tub or shower and the surrounding walls. This is especially true since it will save you money – after all, the average cost of replacing this portion of your bathroom is, on average, about $2500. Usually, a full replacement is also smaller than the original.

Why You Should Resurface Your Shower Surrounds and Tiles

Many choose to resurface their shower surrounds to change the color. Most, however, are resurfacing due to the long-time damage to their surrounds. These things may be one and the same for most customers.

When the original finish of your shower surrounds gets worn away from frequent use, cleaning, general grime, and even plain old age, the shower surrounds become porous. This means that not only does the color fade, but it becomes more difficult to clean even with a regular cleaning schedule. That is because the now-porous surfaces trap odors, water, grime and more.

The initial result of the finish being worn away may be that you try harder to clean it. You may use more abrasive or more powerful cleaning agents, or you may begin to scrub at the walls harder than before. In turn, this actually wears the remaining finish down even further than it already was. Essentially, it aggravates the problem you already had.

How Your Shower Surrounds and Tiles Will be Resurfaced

Similar to almost any job, the key to a proper resurfacing is in the preparation.

First, the tub or shower and surrounding areas must be cleaned properly. Following that, an acid etch will be applied to the surface of the surrounds and floor of your tub or shower. The acid will remove any remaining gloss from the original finish and will open millions of tiny, microscopic holes in the surface of your surrounds. This will, in turn, allow the new finish to penetrate the old surface, perfecting the bond between the surface and the new finish.

Any chips or holes in the surface will then be filled and repaired. This is true regardless of the surface type of your surrounds. When all the damages, if any, are fixed, the areas will be cleaned and dried.

Once the area is dry once again, the remainder of your bathroom will be tarped or covered in plastic. Any fixtures in the shower area itself will be masked-off with thick, protective tape. This will protect them from the spray.

The new finish is applied as a liquid spray. The liquid nature of this spray will let it penetrate and bond to the old surface with much more ease. It fills in all the pores of the surrounds, returning it to its former non-porous glory, and renews color while protecting your shower and the surrounding areas for years to come.