Blog | South Shore Dream Bath | Rockland, MA | Bathroom Remodeling

Benefits of Using Tub Liners over Refinishing

Written by Stephen Ryan | Feb 4, 2012 9:29:26 AM

Bathtubs are like beds: if they are messy, they affect the feeling of the whole room. When a tub is showing signs of wear, nothing you do to the rest of the room will make its primary object seem any better. Replacing the bathtub may be out of reach for your wallet, but there are other options that are less expensive.

If you are looking at renovating the bathroom, you may wish to consider the art of tub liners. Tub liners are not painted on the top surface of the tub, like a refinishing job.

How Tub Liners Are Made

The bathtub is initially measured. A mold is made out of acrylic to the exact specifications and placed over the original tub for installation. It is then glued to the original for a perfect fit.

Benefits Of Liners

  • The liners are often available in more colors than the refinishing glaze, thus giving you more options when choosing how the rest of the room should appear, or allowing for the original color scheme.
  • When taking a bath, because the liner is made of acrylic, the water will remain warm longer.
  • The tub will be more comfortable than refinishing, as the glaze does not retain the heat as well and is not as soft to the touch.
  • Liners last longer; the refinishing of the tub can wear off in a few years, making this process necessary all over again.
  • If the walls surrounding the tub are also in need of a little revitalization, a mold can be made of those as well, giving the whole room a uniform, clean feeling each time you enter. Glaze cannot do this.
  • The liners can be installed in a day. Though there will be a few days’ time from the measurement to the liner’s arrival, the actual time that the bathroom is under construction is limited.Therefore, you are able to enjoy your new bathroom with a lot less hassle.
  • Nothing is removed; the liner goes over the current tub. This reduces the construction process compared to refinishing, which takes several days and causes a lot of dust, which will spread throughout the household.
  • Tub liners are generally less expensive than refinishing, as they last a lot longer than simply glazing over the tub.

The liners will not fade or chip. The refinished tub will. The glaze used to contain lead, which made the durability last longer. But now, the glaze degrades more quickly.

Enjoying Your New Bathroom Much Sooner

When considering renovating the bathroom, you can see that there are many benefits to adding tub liners, instead of refinishing the tub. The installation time is shorter, the mess is contained, the cost is usually less overall and the feel of the tub itself is much nicer to the touch.

You can feel good every time you enter the bathroom, instead of simply seeing it as a functional room, especially when you pamper yourself to a long, luxurious bath.