How Much Does It Cost to Reglaze a Bathtub?

When your tub is cracked, chipped or marred with unidentifiable stains that even the heaviest-duty cleaners can't improve, your relaxing soaks feel a lot less fresh, and your bathroom loses much of its aesthetic appeal.

Enter reglazing (also known as refinishing or resurfacing), your ticket to bathroom 2.0. When it's time to give your bathroom an all-new glow, you've got plenty of options for reglazing.

According to 2019 rates from HomeAdvisor, the national average for hiring a professional to refinish a bathtub is $460. This figure covers the entire process, which typically includes prepping and covering the surrounding, sanding and stripping the existing surface, smoothing out imperfections with a waterproof filler and applying the new finish. Of course, your location, the quality of products used and other factors will affect the overall cost. Per HomeAdvisor's figures, the typical price range spans from $329 up to $596.

If your tub is badly damaged, reglazing might not cut it. A new bathtub liner offers a middle ground between refinishing and replacing your bathtub, averaging a cost of about $2,700.

Be sure to schedule your reglazing carefully, as you won't be able to use your tub for at least 24 hours.

For an impactful bathroom facelift that goes a little (or a lot) easier on the wallet, numerous manufacturers offer do-it-yourself kits for refinishing tubs and bathroom tile. As a bonus budget perk, most kits include enough product to cover your tub's tiled enclosure. These kits use epoxy, acrylic urethane or more eco-friendly polymers to strongly adhere to your bathtub's surface.

You'll need to prep, sand and strip the tub yourself, preferably equipped with an organic vapor respirator for safety, which means that you may have to kick in extra money for plastic drops, paint brushes or foam brushes and respirators.

Basic kits with just the glaze start at around $25, while kits that include all necessary tools and accessories clock in at about $115. Middle-ground kits that include perks such as high-gloss finishes and textured slip guards retail for roughly $90.

Always thoroughly read and follow all warnings and instructions on your kit, as epoxy products in particular may contain harmful fumes.

While you can snag a basic bathtub for about $300, the costs for a full-on replacement of your bathtub add up quickly.

Once you add in expenses for demolition and removal, plumbing and installation, HomeAdvisor pegs the national average cost of purchasing and installing a new bathtub at well over $3,000. That's a figure that puts those reglazing costs into a whole new perspective.