How do I clean a refinished surface in my home?

 How do I clean a newly refinished bathtub?

Newly Moved in? Maybe You Just Had a Surface Refinished. Let's Discuss Cleaning The Bathtub, Shower, Tile and, Vanities

It's sometimes very hard to tell if a bathtub, shower, tile, sink, and vanity surface has been refinished. If it looks new when you move in let's assume it has been refinished.

Many times when moving into a home or especially an apartment, It's hard to tell if the surfaces have been refinished. Most of us want to reach for a strong bleach and disinfect these surfaces. However, before you do lets discuss why that will probably discolor and the surface and very possibly ruin the surface after one cleaning. 

Apartment bathtub refinishing is usually completed by a 2-part part paint called aliphatic acrylic urethane. Just as any other paints these come in very low quality and very high quality. Also know some professional bathtub refinishing companies are still using the outdated standard epoxy paint for refinishing.

If you met the bathtub refinishing technician and he gave you a list of cleaners to use then please disregard this information (they should know the best cleaning practices for the surface they applied).

If no instructions where given then I always recommend:

Dallas Bathtub Refinishing F.A.Q.

Dallas bathtub refinishing recommends cleaning your newly refinished bathtub, tile or vanity with Dawn Power Wash (made for dishes).

• Dawn Power Wash (for dishes) the base ingredients are dawn dish soap and 90% rubbing alcohol. Use a soft microfiber rag for cleaning and you will find this cleaner removes soap scum and disinfects the surface without the harsh bleach and chemical acids that many of the bath and kitchen cleaners have in them. Please stay away from bleach and "all natural" cleaners that contain vinegar. These ingredients are very harsh on the refinished surface and can cause them to become brittle or discolored.
• Once the coating is cleaned improperly making it brittle you will see chips occur easily, once the chips occur the barrier has been breached and water works under the chip causing the bonding agent to weaken and the chipping will continue.
• If the coating discolors to an ugly brownish yellow you can try using Clorox 2 for colored clothes (does not contain bleach). If you get to the stained surface in time this will reverse the discoloration and whiten the tub. The stains is a chemical reaction between the bleach and the surface, so the clorox 2 is reversing that discoloration. This is not always a guaranteed outcome. However, it is a cheap way to see if it can be reversed and I have had some luck using it in my bathtub refinishing business.

Bathtub refinishing is not just a type of surface that professionals use. In fact, some professionals, maintenance personnel or professional wall painters may try to pick up extra money by unknowingly refinishing bathtubs incorrectly. 

• If the bathtub was refinished with a D.I.Y. bathtub refinishing kit then the surface will wear very quickly. The other problem is a common one that painters thing as long as the bathtub is simply cleaned and dry (maybe wiped down with acetone) before starting then the bathtub can simply be painted. The issue is you can't paint a slick porcelain surface. Also condensation forms under the surface (between the new and old surface) which makes the new paint peel in large sheets. 
  • Professional bathtub refinishing companies will use a bonding agent to tie the new and old surface together. Dallas Bathtub Refinishing Services uses silane coupling agent to bond on a true molecular level the old surface and the new surface. 
  Sticking with Dawn power wash will truly give you the most life from your refinished, or factory surface. It truly is a great cleaner.

  Never use citrus cleaners on a refinished surface. These cleaners contain an acid from the skins of lemons, limes, or oranges called d-limonene. This acid will melts the surface little by little causing it to look blotchy or thin. Once it soaks through it will dissolve the chemical bond and allow the surface to form condensation under it, causing it to bubble or rupture. 

• Not only will this acid wear away and damage a refinished bathtub surface, It will also do the same to a factory bathtub finish. This is usually the cause of needing a bathtub refinishing in the first place. Worn bathtubs, shower pans, tile surfaces appear to be dirty. Scratches look like dirt to the naked eye. This usually leads to more aggressive cleaning which in turn, causes more "dirty" looking areas once the surface is dry.

 Dallas Bathtub Refinishing Services is an owner operated bathtub, tile, shower, and vanity professional in the Dallas TX are. I started my business after graduating high school in 1992 so I bring that experience to your bathtub refinishing project.

Dallas Bathtub Refinishing Procedures:

1. etching the old surface to open microscopic pores in the porcelain.
2. hand rubbing silane couplie agent to form a chemical weld between the old and new surface.
3. seven coats of polyester coating with a resin that has a lot in common with plastic. This forms a very durable glossy white surface chemically bonded with a 20 year life expectancy.
   

  

Dallas Bathtub Refinishing Social Links