Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I used affordable good power tools from harbor freight and some supplies from Walmart. I think all the tools can be bought on amazon as well. The job can be done with no power tools at all as well but will take more time. I refinished my tub because I was doing a complete wall and tile replacement and the tub just looked too worn out. My tub now matches my new tile, sink, and walls. Harbor Freight List: 1. HVLP Spray Gun Kit (turbine hvlp) 2. Bauer ¼ Palm Sander 3. 150 grit sand paper, 4x6 4. Quick setting metal epoxy 5. P95 Duel Respirator 6. White cover all 7. Goggles 8. Tack Cloth, qty 6 9. Utility Blades Tools from anywhere: 1. Green scotch brite 2. Green Frog Tape 2” 3. Painters tape 2” 4. Plastic Drop Cloth 5. Fan 6. Nitrile Gloves 7. Tub Drain Wrench 8. Stir sticks, 3 9. Small paint roller 10. Small paint rolls 11. 5 gal bucket Materials 1. Comet Cleaner Powder form 2. Limeaway/ CLR Cleaner 3. Sherwin Williams extreme bond primer 1 quart 4. 2 kits of Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit 5. Mineral Spirits, 1 qt 6. Acetone, 1 gallon 7. Paper towels Tub Prep: 1. Clean the tub with CLR or Lime away. Follow instructions. Mine called for a 1 minute soak time 2. Scrub the tub with Comet/TSP and a low grit scrubbing pad, green pad 3. Wash the tub with water and let it dry completely 4. Mix the 2 part epoxy on a piece of throw away plastic and fill in all the chips and deep scratches. Let it cure according to instructions. 5. Remove all the metal parts of the drain, plug on the tub 6. Sand the tub down with 150 grit or lower sandpaper. It’s really fast and easy with the palm sander. For those doing it by hand use a soft sanding block with the paper wrapped around it. 7. Tack cloth the entire tub and surrounding wall and floor edge. Primer: This is where I deviate from the instructions of rustoleum. I got this from other comments about people’s application bubbling and their fixes. My finish did not bubble or have any trouble sticking right away. I sprayed my primer and finish and will write this accordingly If you are rolling the primer and finish then you do not need to hang a drop cloth just layer enough tape to protect the walls and floor. Wear gloves throughout this process. Keep a bucket of water and paper towels on hand for cleaning. 1. Tape off all the edges with the green frog tape. Tape off the now loose drain below the tub and the over flow drain as well. 2. Use the green frog tape to build a higher tape barrier around the tube. 3. Hang the plastic drop cloth all around the tub and tape it to the edge tape with the blue painters tape. 4. Wipe the tub down with mineral spirits to remove any oil 5. Wipe the tub one more time with a new tack cloth 6. Spray or roll the primer on. Thin the primer out with 1/4-1/3 parts of water. It does not spray well out of the can. Be cautious of applying to much primer on any one spot and causing runs. This primer is super hard and must be chipped off at the runs and reapplied for a smooth finish. I let my spray gun sit in spots to long trying to get a good coat and had to chip of the runs and respray the next day. Runs are drip marks. Keep the coat even. If you over apply primer and its runny then you will have to brush/roll it smooth. 7. Remove all the tape within 30 to 60 minutes. Do not let the primer harden on the tape. This primer is very tough. 8. Let it cure overnight. Instructions says its ready in 4 hours. Finish: The finish is seriously strong. You don’t want to apply this if you aren’t comfortable with leaving all the windows open with a fan going. Keep the window open and fan going this entire process. Put the respirator, full coverall, and gloves on. When working with the finish. I sprayed my finish and it applied better than the primer. You can roll the finish on but it does melt the rolls so buy a lot of rollers preparation. Keep a bucket of acetone on hand for cleaning and pipe brushes. 1. Re-tape the tube and apply the drop cloth just like during the primer application 2. Wipe the tub down with mineral spirits 3. Wipe the tub down with a tack cloth 4. Mix the finish in your spray guns cup 5. Apply the finish with a spray or roller. I sprayed. This sprayed well and I did not have to thin it out. Be careful with runs again. I ended up with some running after spraying the flat portion of my tub some of it tan off the sides. 6. Immediately take the gun apart and place it in the 1 gallon bucket of acetone. Scrub of all the finished. Cover the unused finish. 7. Wait about 30-60 minutes and no longer then apply second coat. 8. Wait about 30-60 minutes and no longer then apply Third coat. 9. Wait 30-60 minutes and remove all the tape and drop cloth 10. Wait 3 days for finish to fully cure without getting wet 11. Keep the fans going. The 1st day is the worse. This is my first time applying this tub refinish kit. I combined the dozens and dozens of comments I read and my experience with painting for these instructions. The finish came out shiny and rock hard but even sprayed there is texture. This will not go one perfectly flat unless you thin it out and have a pro hvlp spray gun. I think it looks better than rolling since you don’t have to worry about the roller creating marks or leaving bits behind. I didn’t realize how old, worn out, and damaged my tub was until I refinished it. With adding the Sherwin Williams Extreme Bond Primer into the equation I did not have to worry about having a perfectly scrubbed surface free from contaminates. I didn’t have any bubbling or bonding issues. I only applied 2 coats as I only bought one kit. Had I listened to the other comments I would’ve applied 3 coats to get a flatter less textured look. My horizontal surfaces that had a thick coat leveled to be flat and shiny. My vertical surfaces were lighter in coating and showed more texture. I think a 3rd coat would have gotten rid of a lot of the texture. Good luck. This ended up taking me 3 days to finish. 10 Month Update: The primer has made a huge difference. There has been no bubbling. The surface still looks great. Follow the manufacturer's guide for cleaning. No abrasives or bleach to be used on this paint. Stick to magic eraser for the hard stains and mild soap and cloth rag for normal cleaning. This tub is for a rental property and has held up very well.