Bathtub Refinishing for General Contractors
A refinishing trade partner for your remodels: keep the sound tub, sink or tile surround, coat it after the wet trades are done, and hand over a like-new bathroom after the cure.
Bathtub refinishing for general contractors
Refinishing lets you keep a sound tub, sink or tile surround in a remodel: $350–$500 per tub, one day on site, ready after a 48-hour cure — against $5,100–$9,900 or more and one to three weeks to tear out and replace it.
Bathtub refinishing, also called reglazing or resurfacing, is a coating trade: the existing surface is cleaned, acid-etched, repaired, primed and sprayed with a commercial-grade topcoat that cures hard and glossy. For a general contractor it is a way to give the client a like-new tub without the demolition, plumbing and tile work a replacement drags into the schedule.
This page is written for contractors and remodelers working across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties and the Bay Area, from San Francisco and Marin to Santa Clara. Every figure is the one on our bathtub refinishing cost guide, bathtub replacement cost guide and service pages.
Where refinishing fits in the remodel sequence
Refinishing is a late trade: the coating goes on after everything that could scratch, splash or dust it is finished, and the room is then left alone for the cure.
| Stage | Refinishing | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Demolition, framing, rough plumbing | Not yet | Dust and impact damage a finished coating. |
| Tile set and grouted, plumbing finished | Refinish here | The tub, surround and sink are coated together once the wet trades are done; grout and caulk must be cured and dry. |
| 48-hour cure | Room closed | Surface completely dry, no traffic, no tools in the tub, ventilation running. |
| Hardware, doors, paint touch-ups | After the cure | Hardware can be reinstalled 48 hours after the reglaze; tub doors go on after it. |
| Final clean | Last | Non-abrasive products only; scouring powders and scrub pads dull the new finish. |
Cure and reinstallation times are those published in our service terms and policies.
Hardware stays in place on about 99% of jobs and is masked. If the spec calls for a new drain or overflow, have the plumber pull the old parts before we arrive and set the new ones 48 hours after; we are not a licensed plumber. Removing a sliding tub door is a separate charge, and in 99% of cases the frame bends, so plan on a new door if the old one comes off.
Protecting new work, and what the site needs
Our crew masks walls, cabinets and fixtures before spraying and ventilates during and after application. The rest is coordination:
- Paint. We use painter’s tape to protect walls. Where paint is old, flaking or not properly applied, some can come off with the tape, and we are not responsible for it. Schedule finish coats after the refinish where you can, and point out fragile areas to the crew.
- Water, power, drainage. The crew needs running water, power, safe access and a working drain. A site without them cannot be started, and a cancellation fee may apply as described in our terms.
- Leaks. Faucets and valves must be finished and leak-free; the surface has to stay dry for 48 hours.
- A cleared, closed room. Tools, materials and debris out of the bathroom before we arrive; our technicians are not permitted to move them. During the cure, no other trades in the room.
- Odor. The coating’s odor usually dissipates within a few hours and at worst lingers up to 24 hours. Ventilate, and keep the client and other trades out of the area during spraying and for 24 hours after; see whether reglazing is safe.
- Substrate. The fixture must be structurally sound. A flexing fiberglass floor needs our inlay repair first, and on older tile showers, moisture trapped behind the tile can lift a coating; we inspect and say so before work starts.
Day-of checklist
- Tile grouted, caulk and grout cured and dry
- Plumbing finished, no leaks
- Water, power and drain working
- Bathroom cleared of tools and debris
- Room closed for 48 hours after
Matching new tile to an old tub
The most common reason a contractor calls us is a tub that is staying while everything around it changes: new white subway tile against a 1970s almond tub. Refinishing brings the tub to bright white, which is what most new tile is specified against, and a color change is priced like a standard reglaze. Custom-matched colors take extra tinting and sample work and are quoted on request; send the tile sample or the manufacturer’s color name with the photos.
The reverse case works too. Where the client wants the tile kept and the tub replaced, refinishing the tile surround to match a new white tub costs $400–$900 for most showers instead of a re-tile, and refinished tile runs 60–70% less than re-tiling. Refinish whole surfaces rather than spots: where only part of a surface is coated we cannot guarantee an exact match in color, sheen or texture with the surrounding finish. The full list of materials we work on is on our surfaces we refinish page.
Licence, insurance, volume scheduling and pricing
- Licensed and insured. Simply Reglaze is a licensed contractor for refinishing and reglazing, CA License # 1141472, and is not a licensed plumber. If your office needs a certificate of insurance or a W-9 on file before issuing a subcontract or paying an invoice, say so when you request the first quote.
- Experience. Over 10 years of combined experience; see what clients say on our reviews page.
- Volume scheduling. Send the job list with two or three photos per bathroom and the date each room will be ready for us. We quote the lot as one job and sequence the visits to your schedule; reschedules need at least 24 hours’ notice.
- Pricing. The same published ranges on every job, with any repair surcharge ($35–$175) disclosed before work starts. There is no travel charge in the metro areas we serve; well outside them a long-distance fee of up to $125 may apply.
- Payment. Due on completion by cash, check or major credit card. Full payment is a condition of the warranty.
Published ranges
- Bathtub $350–$500
- Shower or tile surround $400–$900
- Sink $250–$500
- Vanity top or countertop $350–$800
- Tile floor from $400, by area
- Slip-resistant tub floor: optional add-on, priced on inspection
- Warranty: 2 years (kitchen sinks 6 months), to the party that contracted and paid. Terms.
Adding us to the schedule
Send photos of the fixture as it is now, the date the wet trades will be done, and whether the color is white or a match, and you will have a firm number the same day for your bid. If you are searching for a bathtub refinishing subcontractor near me in Los Angeles, Orange County, the Inland Empire or the Bay Area, check the job address on our service areas page or contact us directly. The warranty goes to the party that contracted and paid; for a remodel ahead of a sale, note the no-warranty rule for listed properties on our page for home sellers and realtors, and for multi-unit renovation work see our guide for apartment communities.
Trade partner questions
After the tile is set and grouted and the plumbing is finished, and before the final clean. The tub, surround and sink are refinished in one visit, the room stays untouched for the 48-hour cure, and paint touch-ups and the final clean follow.
Bright white is the standard and matches most new tile. A color change is priced like a standard reglaze, and custom-matched colors are quoted on request; send the tile sample or the manufacturer's color with your photos.
Simply Reglaze is a licensed contractor for refinishing and reglazing, CA License # 1141472, and is licensed and insured. We are not a licensed plumber: any hardware removal is the plumber's job, and hardware can go back on 48 hours after the reglaze.
Walls, cabinets and fixtures are masked before spraying, and ventilation runs during and after application. Painter's tape can lift paint that is old or flaking, so tell the crew about fresh paint and plan finish coats after the refinish where you can.
Safe access, running water, power and a working drain, with the bathroom cleared of tools and debris; our technicians are not permitted to move belongings. If the crew arrives and cannot start, a cancellation fee may apply as set out in our terms.
The same published ranges: $350–$500 per standard tub, $400–$900 per shower or surround, $250–$500 per sink, $350–$800 per vanity top or countertop. Heavier damage than the photos show carries a $35–$175 repair surcharge, quoted before work starts, and a long-distance travel fee of up to $125 applies only well outside the metro areas we serve.
A written two-year limited warranty on bathtubs, showers, tile walls, countertops and bathroom or vanity sinks, and six months on kitchen sinks, extended to the entity that contracted and paid for the work. Full payment is a condition of coverage, and a surface later altered by anyone other than Simply Reglaze voids the warranty on that area.
More questions? Our FAQ page covers safety, cure times and cleaning, and the cost guide explains every price factor.
Get a number for your bid today
Text or upload two or three photos of the fixture as it is now and we’ll reply with a firm price, usually the same day. Serving Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties and the Bay Area from San Francisco and Marin to Santa Clara.
Mon–Fri 7AM–5PM · Sat 8AM–12PM · Licensed & insured · Written 2-year warranty