So what if you can’t afford a new bathroom, it’s amazing what you can do with a moist cloth, a lick of paint and some caulking (no, we didn’t know what it was either and until we did up our first bathroom). Just fixing up baths and basins can give the whole room a new look.
Around the bath and shower area there’s bound to be evidence of soap scum, lime scale build-up and even mildew and rust stains. Let’s tackle these first…
Caulking (sealant)
Water’s got behind the silicone sealant around the edge of your bath or shower tray and wall and that very unattractive black mildew has taken root, it seems. The only way to fix it is to strip out the old caulking, clean and treat the space to get rid of the last vestiges of the mildew and replace the sealant.
Here’s a video that shows you how to do this quickly and easily
Recaulking the Bathtub, Shower & Bathroom Sink — powered by eHow.com
Bath resurfacing
If your bath’s also a problem because, for instance, like Clare O’s, all the enamel is wearing off (and there are a few chips around the edge) or it’s a hideous chocolate brown, mustard or avocado and you simply can’t afford to replace it or don’t want to because the bath itself is a great bath, then you need to re-surface.
There are a couple of choices – DIY or bring in the professionals. Either way, if you’re re-surfacing your bath – make it the last job after you’ve done everything else.
Resurface DIY It’s possible to do it yourself and there are a number of good products on the market. We’ve also seen people achieve remarkable results using car bodywork polishing products. But always try on a small area first. And if you do take this route don’t use bath products containing essential oils in your refurbished tub – they can react with the surface.
Professional resurfacing You can get the experts in, though this is obviously a much more expensive route – but not as costly as a new bath. A supplier will come to your home and re-enamel the bathtub in situ. If your bath can be easily moved there are also specialists who’ll re-surface with vitreous enamel which is very expensive. The picture on the right shows before and after a professional finish in situ. There’s a link to Diamond Gleam below.
Useful products
>>Silverline 427557 5 Piece Premium Brush Set
>>Paint runner roller will speed the work
>>This mould and midew remover spray stops new fungal growth 500ml
>>Soft grip grout remover will make cleaning out old grouting easier
