Paint/Sprayer for Cast Iron Bath

[sixeighth]

I've prepped an old cast iron bath to repaint (too much disturbance to replace it) and wonder if anyone here can recommend a paint to use and, ideally, a cheap sprayer - only likely to be used for this job?

 

[Robbie uk]

Using a brush will be fine and any decent oil based gloss will suffice. Its never going to get that hot that it would cause any problems.

 

[geraldthehamster]

I've prepped an old cast iron bath to repaint (too much disturbance to replace it) and wonder if anyone here can recommend a paint to use and, ideally, a cheap sprayer - only likely to be used for this job?

You can get cold re-enamelling kits (Tubby, I think they're called, without bothering to Google). Reputedly this is not as durable as having the bath properly re-enamelled. If you're going to use it as a bath you can't just paint it.

Cheers
Richard

 

[dcdec]

Agree with the hamster man, there are specialists that do re-enamaling and its quite reasonably priced i believe. Constant heating and cooling would take its toll on a coat of paint.

 

[sixeighth]

Funds are close to zero but I'll see if one of the pros would take on with just coating it assuming the prep is good enough. Otherwise I'll go for Tubby although I would expect to need two packs given a lot of the original colour (green) has been exposed after the sanding.

Many thanks for the replies.

 

[Robbie uk]

I might have mis read the post, Thought he meant painting the outer side of the bath !!! Hence why I said use oil based paint, which is fine for that.
As said you can get companies in that can spray the bath in situ !

Having said that I have seen it done with White Hammerite to good effect.

 

[geraldthehamster]

I might have mis read the post, Thought he meant painting the outer side of the bath !!! Hence why I said use oil based paint, which is fine for that.
As said you can get companies in that can spray the bath in situ !

Having said that I have seen it done with White Hammerite to good effect.

I might have misread the post; perhaps he did mean the outside of the bath If he's still here perhaps he can clarify.

The outside of roll top baths looks best done in harmony with the rest of the decor in the bathroom. Our neighbour has one done in eggshell, in one of the many Farrow and Ball posh paint shades of greenish off-white... I think gloss might look a bit tacky. I don't see how you could do it all without removing the bath ...


Cheers
Richard

 

[emilybronte]

We did the outside of ours in a dark plum shade of Leyland oilbased eggshell 25 years ago when we bough the bath new and it still looks amazing. I-t is the only surface in the house we have not had to redecorate after bringing up 3 children here! I am planning to repaint it this year, but only because we're changing the whole room's colour scheme.

Agree, definitely go for eggshell (not gloss), but not F & B which can be thin and drippy. Little Greene costs the same and is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better imho. Either o/ or water based. Prob oil for a bath.

 

[sixeighth]

It is a roll top bath and it's the inside that I'll be painting.

 

[emilybronte]

It is a roll top bath and it's the inside that I'll be painting.

Please don't. It will end up peeling off. Get it re-enamelled professionally and it will last another 25 years.

 

[Nigel_Cro]

We had an original, 100 year old cast iron, roll top bath. When we did the major renovation of the house we had it taken away, re-enamelled, properly baked on and returned.

It was perfect for about 7 years, almost perfect for another 5 or so and then started looking shabby.

So... because I didn't want it taking out, we had it done, cold, in-situ.

It lasted 2 years, then started to flake, chip and scratch. it deteriorated very quickly.

In the end, I made the hard decision and took a 14lb Sledge to it - Gone!

 

[geraldthehamster]

It is a roll top bath and it's the inside that I'll be painting.

Please don't. It will end up peeling off. Get it re-enamelled professionally and it will last another 25 years.

Seconded. Unless you want to be getting out of the bath with flakes of paint stuck to your a*se.

Cheers
Richard

 

[geraldthehamster]

a lot of the original colour (green) has been exposed after the sanding.

I've never seen a cast iron bath that was green on the inside. How odd.

Cheers
Richard

 

[emilybronte]

a lot of the original colour (green) has been exposed after the sanding.

I've never seen a cast iron bath that was green on the inside. How odd.

Cheers
Richard

I think I have; in one we removed from a property (not a nice claw foot one, just a 'farmer's field' type one!), the green was staining, from deposits in the water below the taps and round the plughole - presumably it had been dripping down for years.

That said, green was a popular colour with the Victorians, so who knows.?!

 

[Dominica09]

Nice post!