Saving Money Through Reglazing
Virginia Beach, Virginia
On Instagram, I posted content about how we have been reglazing tubs and showers to save money on our flips. I have been getting lot of questions on how and why we choose to reglaze in a lot of our homes. My first goal in this post is to visually show you the power of reglazing and the difference it makes in a remodel. Next, I’d like to talk price and practicality of the project and why it has made sense for us in our career.
Above is an example of one of the largest reglazing projects we’ve taken on. This is a “before and after” shot of our master shower in our Virginia Beach Live In Flip. Instead of demoing ALL of this tile we chose two shortcuts that did not sacrifice quality. The first was tiling right over the existing tile. The hex black tiles are not too thick so they meet our wood floor perfectly between the bathroom and the bedroom. The second was reglazing the whole shower and not tearing out the outdated tiles. We had to consider the damage to the drywall, cost of the new sheetrock, and the price of ALL the tiles, tile adhesives, and grout. I didn’t even mention the mess and the time it would take to demo the shower. It would run well into the thousands of dollars. This reglazing project cost us between $450 and $550 including labor and materials, it took a about 8 hours over two days, and it was roughly mess free. We contracted out so that we wouldn’t have to deal with the prep work, labor, and clean up. As you can see, the difference is incredible!
In most of our flips if we can salvage a tub with reglazing, we do. Here is a tub example from our Project Taylor house. The reglazing costs us around $250-300 dollars a tub. A new tub could run you as cheap as $200 just for the tub, but that doesn’t include the demo, the waterproofing, new installation, setting of the tub, and sheetrock repair. With all that headache and labor, you could be well over 1k not to mention finding a tub to fit that specific space.
I want to answer some FAQs about reglazing:
What is reglazing?
What is used to do it and what’s the process like?
How long does it last?
Would it be good in a rental?
What is reglazing?
Reglazing is virtually “painting” with HIGH bonding adhesives. It begins with light sanding of the tub and tiles. Next, an epoxy type of “paint” is used to cover and adhere to the surface areas being covered. It is smelly so make sure to leave the house or have very good ventilation in your home while the product is being placed on the tub. An acrylic coating is used to finish and seal the “glaze” onto the tub and tiles.
What is used to do it and what’s the process like?
The epoxy and acrylic top coats are used to reglaze the tub. I HIGHLY recommend a professional do the reglazing to ensure the highest quality finish. The materials are toxic and a professional can safely reglaze your tub using his roller and supplies. Our professional uses a huge vacuum type tool to suck out harmful fumes while he works.
How long does it last?
We have been told that, when done right, reglazed tubs and tiles can last 10-15 years without chipping.
Would it be good in a rental?
With a life span of 10-15 years, I would say it would be great for a rental. Especially with a price point of $250 dollars and a long life, I’d say reglazing is beneficial to the landlord for the pure sake of less mess and a quick bath remodel.
In this last house we completed, The Roger Project, it had a hallway bathroom in desperate need of a facelift. We chose to reglaze all the tile and the tub. Below is such a good example of the visual power of reglazing. Even I had to be sold at first to the magic of reglazing, but after seeing so many awesome transformations, I’m sold.
Quotes for reglazing will vary in the different areas of the map in which you live. I hope that you can get close to the prices we’ve been blessed to land. We also got connected with wonderful professionals who have been reglazing for many, many years. Pro tip: ask around to house flippers, real estate investors, and especially REALTORS for recommendations for high quality reglazing professionals. I’d always say it's worth it to pay a little more for better quality.
If you’d like to see more reglazed tubs we’ve done, check out the bathrooms in Project Gilpin, Rick’s Condo, and The Fisherman Project.
Ann | DESIGN