# Cyclopedia of Painting/Painting a Bath Tub

PAINTING A BATH TUB.
The method for painting an ordinary room is the plan which is followed in most cases of painting. The method of painting a bath tub, however, is an entirely different one. The wear and tear of an ordinary bath tub is very great; the heat of the water is in itself very trying to any paint or enamel, especially when, as often happens, the water is allowed to enter the bath in a nearly boiling state, there to mingle with the colder water. It will be a hint of value to know that the hotter the water the greater is the wear and tear on the paint material, and this whether the bath tub is of the highest quality or is of a cheaper make. But apart from the heat of the water, the soap and grease which abounds in the bath room is in itself a means of destruction to the paint. In renovating an old bath tub, the proper plan would be to have it taken out and sent to an enamelling firm, who paint it in a special manner and with a special paint, which is known as baking enamel. This is a description of paint specially made for articles to be placed in a stove of high heat whence the enamel is greatly hardened. The trouble and expense, however, of taking a bath tub out and sending it away in this manner is very great and many, therefore, prefer to paint their own bath tubs, if even they have to repeat the operations every spring.
The first thing to be done is to thoroughly clean the surface and this, as in all operations of repainting, is very important. At the risk of being tedious the necessity of getting every portion of the surface absolutely clean before the paint is applied must be emphasized, and in this case it must be added absolutely dry also. Sometimes the faucets of the bath tub leak a little; if so this must be stopped before the repainting is commenced, otherwise the job is ​hopeless. The best way of cleaning a bath tub is to first thoroughly scrub with soap and water, using hot water and plenty of elbow grease; any ordinary pure soap answers the purpose. The next thing is to rinse freely with cold water with a sponge or cloth, but even this, as a rule, does not remove all the grease, and a further operation is necessary to the same end of scrubbing with powdered pumice stone and water. A small scrubbing brush is moistened with water and dipped in the dry pumice stone and then the surface is rubbed over briskly so as to literally grind off any dirt or grease which may remain. A thorough sluicing with cold water completes the process and the bath tub is, when dry, ready for the first coat of paint. If time is limited a clean cloth may be used to wipe off the water from the surface, but it is better to let the work remain for 24 hours until it is thoroughly dry.
Sometimes it will be found that the previous coats of paint have chipped off in places; in that case, if a really nice finish is required, it will be necessary to remove all the paint and start from the iron, and that is a long and tedious process.
The paint to be mixed for this job is either white lead or zinc white, thinned with turpentine only, that is without oil, but with the addition of a tablespoonful of gold size. This paint should be somewhat thin and it will dry without gloss. It is called by painters, sharp color. The advantage it possesses is that it forms a very thin coat, much thinner than ordinary oil paint, and it may, therefore, be applied much quicker, and being thin it is less likely to shrivel or crack under the influence of hot water. If it is desired to tint the paint this can readily be done by adding a little of the color required. For instance, sea green can be made by adding a little light Brunswick green and a little raw sienna to the white lead or zinc white. As a rule bath tubs look best a very light color. A light pink looks well, and so does a light blue.
​An ordinary paint brush will be used and care must be taken not to miss any small parts, and not to apply the paint too thick; a very thin, even coat is what is to be aimed at. The coat of paint will dry in an hour, but it is better to leave it for 8 or 10 hours before applying the second coat. A good plan, if the weather is dry, is to apply one coat early in the morning and the second at night. If the paint shows any signs of roughness it may be lightly rubbed over with very fine sandpaper. In that case the bath tub must be dusted out before a second coat is applied. As a rule three coats will be ample and two will usually suffice. If the paint is properly mixed and properly applied there will be no difficulty in determining when the surface has received a sufficient number of coats; that point will be reached when the tub is quite uniform in appearance. The beginner will be likely to view the work, however, at this stage with some doubt, owing to the unfamiliar appearance of the flat surface, without gloss. Persons have abandoned the work at this stage under the impression that the unfamiliar appearance looked too much like whitewash. However, this appearance is quite what might be expected, but it will quickly be removed by the next process which is that of applying a coat of varnish.
Now it must be very distinctly understood that ordinary varnish, even of the best quality, is useless for painting a bath tub. It must be special bath varnish, or one made specially for resisting hot water. There should not be any difficulty in getting a bath varnish at any good painters' supply house. Most of the best varnish firms manufacture excellent bath tub varnishes, which may be absolutely relied upon, and as the quantity required for an ordinary bath tub is but very small, the cost is nominal.
In applying the varnish it should be remembered that a thin coat only is required, and it is far better to give a second coat after the first coat is dry if a high degree of brilliancy is required than it is to apply a thick coat at one ​operation. Dip just the point of the brush in the varnish. Use the brush lightly first one way and then the other, finally drawing it lightly in one direction to smooth out the brush marks.
Another little point which seems so obvious as to be hardly worth mentioning is to take care that every part of the surface is reached by the varnishing brush. To ensure this is much more difficult than would appear at first sight, because the varnish is almost colorless, and when one looks directly at the surface it is almost impossible to see which, part is varnished and which is not. It is easy, therefore, to skip a small portion of the surface without noticing it. The only way to provide against this is every now and then to look at the surface from a point at which the light reflects when the lines between the varnished and unvarnished surface will be readily discerned.