Cast-Iron Bathtub Refinishing in Los Angeles

If your Los Angeles home was built before the 1970s, there’s a good chance the tub is cast iron under a layer of porcelain enamel — heavy, solid and built to outlast the house. The enamel wears out; the iron doesn’t. Refinishing gives that tub a new surface in a single visit, without ever moving it.

BEFORE AFTER

Worth saving

Why a cast-iron tub is worth refinishing

A cast-iron tub holds heat, doesn’t flex, doesn’t creak and doesn’t sound like a drum when the water runs. New tubs in that class cost thousands before installation. The ones in LA’s older bungalows, Spanish-style houses and 1920s–60s apartment buildings are the same quality — they’ve just lost their glaze.

What usually goes wrong is only the surface: the porcelain gets dull and porous, picks up stains, chips around the drain and the rim, and rust shows where the iron is exposed. All of that is fixed by refinishing. None of it is fixed by scrubbing harder.

300+ lbwhat a cast-iron tub weighs — removing one means a crew, demolition and often a damaged doorway

3–4 hto refinish it in place, with no plumbing or tile work

10+ yrsof service from a pour-on finish on cast iron — the ideal base for it

Replace or refinish

What replacing a cast-iron tub actually involves

Replacement

Demolition — tile and often part of the wall come out to free the tub; the floor around it usually needs work too.
Getting it out — 300+ lb of iron down a hallway or a flight of stairs; many are broken up with a sledgehammer right in the bathroom.
Plumbing — drain and overflow disconnected and redone for the new tub; faucet often replaced.
A week or more without a bathroom, plus the cost of a new tub, a plumber, a tile setter and disposal.

Refinishing

Nothing moves — the tub, tile, faucet and drain stay exactly where they are.
One visit, 3–4 hours — sanding, acid etching, cleaning, sealing the seam, pouring the enamel.
Ready in 24 hours — fully cured, glossy white, with a 5-year warranty.
A fraction of the replacement cost — and you keep the better tub.

BATHTUB REGLAZING COST – PRICING

BEFORE AFTER

OUR SIGNATURE SERVICE

Bathtub Reglazing

Pour-On Method — 10× thicker than spray
5-year written warranty
Ready in 24 hours
Cast iron & steel tubs only
Odorless, safe for kids & pets

STARTING AT: $475 *tax included

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Additional services

Caulking

Included, no extra charge

Travel beyond our core area

Varies

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How it’s done

Refinishing cast iron with the pour-on method

Cast iron is the best possible base for pour-on enamel: rigid, heavy and cool, so the enamel levels slowly and evenly and bonds to a surface that will never flex underneath it. Our process is built around that.

Sanding. The old glaze, stains, lime scale and surface rust are ground down with abrasives. Chips and rust pits are opened up so they can be filled properly.
Acid etching and neutralizing. The porcelain is etched, rinsed, scrubbed with a soda-based cleaner and rinsed again — this is what makes the new coating grip.
Drying, sealing, masking. The tub is dried with heat and wiped with alcohol; the tub-to-wall seam is resealed, chips are filled, fixtures and tile are masked.
Pouring. The enamel is poured around the rim and flows down the walls into one seamless, glossy layer — no spray, no brush marks. If the tub has an apron (the front panel), it’s coated too.

Steel tubs too. Porcelain-enameled steel tubs — lighter, common in post-war apartment buildings — are refinished the same way. What we don’t refinish: acrylic, fiberglass, and tubs that have had a liner installed.

BEFORE

AFTER

Cast-iron tub, Los Angeles — before and after

Not sure what your tub is made of?

Hold a magnet to the side: if it sticks, the tub is cast iron or steel and we can refinish it. Or just send us a photo — we’ll tell you.

What customers say

Reviews

Excellent ★★★★★ 5.0 | 1 reviews

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Paul G.

★★★★★3 years ago

Great bathtub reglazing service! Quick, professional, and my tub looks new. Very happy with the results. Highly recommend!

↳ Owner's reply

It was a pleasure working with you, and we're grateful for your positive review of our tub reglazing service. Thank you for trusting us with your project!

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