Materials & Fixtures

Surfaces We Refinish

Refinishing — also called reglazing or resurfacing — works on far more than bathtubs. Here is every material and fixture we restore, what it is, what usually goes wrong with it and what to expect when we refinish it.

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Almost every hard bathroom and kitchen surface can be refinished: porcelain and cast-iron tubs, fiberglass and acrylic units, cultured marble, ceramic tile, laminate counters and every kind of sink. The process is the same at heart — repair, prepare, coat — but each material wears out in its own way and needs its own preparation. Every surface below is restored in place, in about a day, for up to 75% less than replacement, and backed by our written warranty.

Porcelain Cast-iron bathtubs Clawfoot Fiberglass tubs Acrylic tubs Cultured marble tubs Ceramic tile walls Laminate Jacuzzi Shower pans Bathroom vanities Kitchen

Material by Material

Twelve surfaces, one proven process

Click through to the matching service for pricing, photos and FAQs.

Porcelain (enamel-on-steel) bathtubs & sinks

What it is: Most “porcelain” tubs are a thin layer of porcelain enamel fused to a pressed-steel shell. They were the standard builder tub from the 1950s onward, so they are in the majority of postwar homes across Los Angeles, Orange County and the Bay Area, along with matching porcelain-on-steel and vitreous-china sinks.
Do we refinish it?: Yes — porcelain tubs and sinks are the most common fixtures we refinish.
What to expect: Worn enamel goes dull and rough, and any chip exposes the steel underneath, which rusts and spreads. We grind out rust, fill chips and cracks, etch the surface and spray a bonding primer and multiple finish coats. The tub comes back bright white (or a custom color), smooth to the touch and ready to use in about 24 hours.

Bathtub refinishing

Cast-iron bathtubs

What it is: Cast-iron tubs are porcelain enamel over a heavy iron casting — the original tubs in Craftsman bungalows, Spanish Revivals, Victorians and prewar apartments in Pasadena, Long Beach, Oakland, Berkeley and San Francisco. They hold heat, feel solid underfoot and weigh several hundred pounds.
Do we refinish it?: Yes — cast iron is an ideal candidate, and refinishing is usually the only sensible way to renew one.
What to expect: Decades of use thin the enamel until it looks gray and feels gritty; rust appears at the drain, overflow and any chips. Because the casting itself is nearly indestructible, we repair the surface, re-coat it and leave the tub exactly where it is — no demolition, no crane, no plumbing. The finish is glossy and smooth and keeps the tub’s original shape and character.

Bathtub refinishing

Clawfoot & freestanding tubs

What it is: Freestanding cast-iron tubs on decorative feet, common in Victorian and Edwardian homes and increasingly re-installed in remodels. The interior is porcelain enamel; the exterior is usually painted iron.
Do we refinish it?: Yes — we refinish clawfoot tubs inside and out.
What to expect: The interior is repaired and refinished like any cast-iron tub. The exterior can be refinished in white, a color that matches your bathroom or a contrasting accent, and the feet can be masked or coated to suit. The tub stays in place throughout — important when it sits on an upper floor of an older home.

Bathtub refinishing

Fiberglass tubs & shower units

What it is: Lightweight one-piece tub-shower and shower units made of fiberglass with a thin colored gel-coat surface. They are the standard fixture in 1970s–2000s tract homes, condos, apartments and manufactured housing across California, often installed before the walls went up.
Do we refinish it?: Yes — fiberglass refinishes very well once the surface is properly prepared.
What to expect: The gel coat oxidizes and thins with cleaning and UV exposure, leaving the unit chalky, faded, yellowed and impossible to get clean; floors flex and can develop spider cracks or stress fractures. We repair and reinforce soft spots and cracks first, clean, degloss and etch the surface, seal seams and re-caulk, then apply primer and a hard, high-gloss finish. If the floor is badly cracked we install a permanent bathtub inlay instead of coating over it. Most units are finished in a few hours and ready to use the next day.

Shower refinishing

Acrylic tubs & showers

What it is: Acrylic units are vacuum-formed acrylic sheet reinforced with fiberglass from behind. They are lighter than cast iron, a little harder and more scratch-resistant than plain fiberglass, and common in homes built or remodeled since the 1980s, including many soaking and garden tubs.
Do we refinish it?: Yes — acrylic refinishes the same way as fiberglass, with excellent results.
What to expect: Acrylic scratches, dulls and stains rather than chipping. Scratches and worn spots are filled and sanded, the surface is etched so the coating bonds, and the finish is sprayed in multiple coats. A dated almond, blue or gray acrylic tub becomes bright white in the same visit.

Bathtub refinishing

Cultured marble tubs, surrounds & vanity tops

What it is: Cultured marble is a cast blend of polyester resin and crushed marble dust with a clear gel-coat surface, molded into vanity tops with integral sinks, tub surrounds, shower walls and occasionally tubs. It was the builder’s favorite in 1970s–90s homes in Irvine, the Tri-Valley, Foster City and similar communities, usually in swirled beige, pink or gray.
Do we refinish it?: Yes — we refinish cultured-marble vanities, surrounds and tubs.
What to expect: The gel coat yellows, dulls and develops fine crazing, and the swirl patterns look dated. We repair chips and crazing, prep the surface and apply a solid-color finish — crisp white or a custom color — or a stone-look countertop finish on vanity tops. The integral sink is refinished as part of the same piece, so there is no seam and no new cut-out.

Countertop refinishing

Ceramic tile walls, surrounds & floors

What it is: Glazed ceramic tile set on walls, tub and shower surrounds, wainscoting and bathroom floors, along with its grout. Mid-century homes have it in 4×4 pastels; older homes in white subway and hexagonal mosaics; newer homes in larger neutral tiles.
Do we refinish it?: Yes — tile walls, tub and shower surrounds and bathroom floors can all be refinished.
What to expect: The coating goes over tile and grout together, sealing the grout lines so the wall becomes one smooth, wipe-clean surface. Cracked or loose tiles are repaired first. A pink, green or brown surround becomes bright white with no demolition, and a tub and its surround are usually refinished in the same visit so they match. Floors take the same finish and need a little extra care while curing.

Tile & wall refinishing

Laminate & Formica countertops

What it is: Plastic laminate (Formica and similar brands) glued to a particleboard core — the kitchen and bathroom counter of choice from the 1950s through the 1990s. It is durable but shows burns, knife scratches, worn spots at the sink and colors that date a kitchen instantly.
Do we refinish it?: Yes — laminate is one of the surfaces we refinish most in kitchens.
What to expect: Chips, seams and worn edges are filled and sanded, the laminate is deglossed so the coating bonds, and a durable stone-look finish is applied in one day. The result resists stains, heat and everyday wear and gives a kitchen or bath a granite-like look at a fraction of the cost of new counters. Sinks stay in place.

Countertop refinishing

Jacuzzi, whirlpool & jetted tubs

What it is: Oversized acrylic or fiberglass soaking tubs with air or water jets, common in 1980s–2000s master bathrooms in Orange County, the Tri-Valley, Los Altos and Saratoga and in larger homes everywhere.
Do we refinish it?: Yes — jetted tubs refinish like any acrylic or fiberglass tub.
What to expect: These tubs go dull, discolor around the jets and pick up stains that will not scrub out. The jets, fittings and trim are masked, the surface is repaired and etched, and the finish is sprayed in multiple coats. Replacing a jetted tub means tearing out the deck and tile around it; refinishing keeps everything in place and finishes in a day.

Bathtub refinishing

Shower pans & tub floors

What it is: The floor of a fiberglass or acrylic shower or tub-shower unit. It flexes slightly with every step, and on older units — or units installed without full support underneath — that flex eventually cracks the floor, often at the center or around the drain.
Do we refinish it?: Yes — lightly worn pans are refinished; cracked or flexing floors are repaired with a permanent inlay.
What to expect: A faded, stained or non-slip-worn pan is repaired and refinished with the rest of the unit. A floor that is cracked, leaking or feels spongy gets a professionally bonded bathtub or shower inlay: a new, solid, watertight floor fitted over the old one, with no demolition and no replacement of the unit. Either way the shower is back in use the next day.

Cracked tub & inlay repair

Bathroom vanities & integral sinks

What it is: Vanity tops with a molded-in sink — most often cultured marble, sometimes porcelain or acrylic — plus drop-in and undermount porcelain sinks set into tile or laminate tops.
Do we refinish it?: Yes — vanity tops, integral sinks and drop-in sinks are all refinished in place.
What to expect: Stains, chips, scratches, yellowing and dated colors are repaired and coated in one visit, without disconnecting plumbing or cutting a new top. Homeowners often have the vanity refinished alongside the tub and tile so the whole bathroom matches in the same white.

Sink refinishing

Kitchen & bathroom sinks

What it is: Porcelain, cast-iron, cultured-marble and acrylic sinks in bathrooms and kitchens — wall-hung and pedestal sinks in older homes, drop-in and undermount bowls in newer ones, and enameled cast-iron kitchen sinks that have lost their gloss.
Do we refinish it?: Yes — sinks are refinished in a single visit with no re-plumbing.
What to expect: Chips, rust rings, calcium stains and worn spots around the drain are repaired, the surface is etched and coated, and the sink is glossy and easy to clean again in about a day. Colored sinks can be changed to white to match a refinished tub or countertop. Not sure your fixture qualifies? Text us a photo and we’ll tell you.

Sink refinishing

Not Sure?

Don’t know what your tub is made of?

A quick test: tap the side of the tub. A dull, heavy thud is cast iron; a higher metallic ring is porcelain-on-steel; a hollow plastic sound is fiberglass or acrylic. A magnet sticks to steel and cast iron but not to fiberglass, acrylic or cultured marble. Every one of these refinishes — the material just tells us how to prepare it and what to quote. Fastest answer: text us a photo or request a free quote, see the pricing guide, browse all refinishing services or find your service area.

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Ready to refinish it?

Free, no-obligation estimates on any surface listed above. Most jobs are finished in a day and ready to use the next morning.

Get a Free Quote Call 1 (855) 450-5335

Fastest quote: text us a photo of your tub, sink or tile and we’ll price it in minutes. Mon–Fri 7AM–5PM · Sat 8AM–12PM.