My FIL had his tub & shower surround done by Bathfitters several years ago. It looks great, but he spent 5 or 6K on it. The 2 or 3 piece wall surrounds are available at your local mega building supply store for anywhere from $200-500 depending on how fancy you want to go. I didn't ask, but nowhere could I find any of the fiberglass tub overlays.

Are those available anywhere or do the bathroom refinishing folks have a stranglehold on the market?

My problem is, that my tub really needs some attention. The grout on the 50 yo tile job is starting crumble, the tile is very outdated and grubby looking no matter how much it's cleaned and the finish on the tub is worn off in places. Within the next few years we will be adding onto the house, the full bath will be moved upstairs, and this bathroom will be cut in half, the tub removed, a shower stall installed and a door relocated to where the tub currently is. If it didn't plan on tearing the thing up in the near future, I could see shelling out some cash.

I don't mind dropping a grand into it, though, and if I could find an overlay that would seem reasonable including the surround. Any suggestions?

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

If you find anything, let us know. I've wanted to do something like that on some rental apts I have. So far, I've concluded that it is more cost efficient to just get a new tub and a one piece surround and take the time to replace everything. I'd like to find some kind of one day kit, but I suspect the huge variation in bath shapes would make selling generic versions at the big box stores difficult.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

I have an old cast iron tub that is worn where the water was dripping and did some homework about re-glazing vs. tub liners. I was advised that re-glazing was the way to go because over time the liners get water under them from via the tub drains which in turn causes a giant bubble to appear. Re-glazing is much less expensive.

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

Find one of the tub refinishing companies that spray a very durable epoxy finish on the tub. With some care, it can last 10 years and look very good.

Then, once that's finished (it takes a week to fully cure), get yourself a brand new three piece fiberglass tub enclosure and glue it right to the existing tiles. Might need a bit of trim along the top. Caulk along the bottom (not silicone) between the enclosure and the new painted tub.

Brand new look for about $600.

Done.

That's seems to be the route to go. I'm not real picky since it will be semi-permanent and will look a helluva lot better than what's there now.

All the ads for the bath refinishers show them dropping a fiberglass overlay over a tub that looks exactly like mine. Strange that they're not an available item.

The surround is easy enough to do, though.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

I just had a bathfitter tub liner put in in one of my bathrooms. It looks good, doesn't leak, and cost way less than a new tub would have.

In my case I would have had to tear a wall out to get a new tub in. So, I ended up paying $1,700.00 instead of $4-5,000.00. I didn't replace the tile on the walls, just lined the tub itself, which was steel and had rusted out. It's watertight now and a lot quieter than it was before.

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" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
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