How to Get Faster Sales and Better ROI With Bathtub Refinishing

Location. Location. Location. You’ve likely heard this timeless real estate advice more than once. It’s entirely true that a home in a desirable location will sell faster and for a higher price than a comparable home in a less exclusive part of town. The right location is what draws buyers to view a property, but it’s not necessarily what closes the sale.

To understand how to increase a home’s resale value, focus on kitchens and baths — they can make or break a realty deal. No matter how perfect a location, first impressions of your home’s interior are a vital selling point. What a potential buyer immediately thinks when they walk through the door will stick, which is compounded as they walk about your house. Consciously or subconsciously, they’re comparing their impressions of your home’s value with other properties they’re viewing.

What makes a good impression on a buyer? For ideas on how to help a home sell quicker, think about how a buyer might feel walking through the kitchen or bathroom. Good first impressions come from bright, modern kitchens and updated bathrooms.

Those positive impressions from the bath help a home sell quicker, and they’re going to increase your home’s resale value. Having a gleaming, clean bathtub is a critical component in impressing buyers and swaying them towards making a decent offer. A refinished bathtub can mean more buyers and better offers.

Bathtubs as a Focal Point

The proper design makes a bathtub’s position a key element in the layout and visual appeal of a home. Expert designers know how to arrange a bathroom so the tub is a feature, and they use it to amplify the impression of space and, of course, luxury. They want the bathtub to be inviting. It must beckon with a sense of warmth and relaxation.

Professional interior designers are acutely aware that proper layout and use of bathroom fixtures anchor the room. Great effort goes towards making sure the right fixtures are chosen and placed for maximum aesthetic and practical effect. Vanities with sinks are usually placed closest to the entrance, while toilets and bidets are moved from the sightline. Often, toilets are placed around a corner or even in a separate room.

Choosing Bathtub Colors

Great bath designers know the value of color. Color fashions change with the ages. Thankfully, the days of avocado green and pale pink are gone. Today’s bathroom fixtures are overwhelmingly white — a return to the timeless taste of antiques like your grandmother’s claw foot tub and her water closet with the high-mounted tank.

The raspberry reds and aqua blues are extinct in new homes and so are harvest golds and jet blacks. You couldn’t give those once-trendy fixtures away today. Unfortunately, many homes constructed in that era still have bath fixtures built into the walls, set into the counters and bolted to the floor that harken to days of bygone trends.

Having old, worn and stained bath fixtures in your home is going to have a negative impact on a prospective buyer’s first impression. While your home may be in an excellent location and otherwise well presented, the condition and color of your bath fixtures are going to have a major impact on perceived value.

A worn tub gives the impression of worn plumbing, and plumbing replacements are a fear of many prospective homebuyers. No doubt, a buyer is going to consider the cost of replacing that out-of-date tub, the toilet, the fixtures and all the pipes that go with them, which may mean a discounted offer.

That low-ball offer may be significant. Buyers perceive a worst-case scenario and the suggestion of a major bathroom renovation due to a shabby tub might be enough to make a buyer believe they’ll have to invest thousands of additional dollars to bring your bath up to their expectations. They’ll see a tub replacement as expensive — and they’re right.

Replacing an Out-Of-Date Bathtub Is Expensive

Renovations can be pricey. Whether you are up for the task or hire a contractor, replacing an out-of-date bathtub isn’t cheap. Removal and replacement is one thing, hidden costs are another. Every renovator knows when the walls are opened up, all sorts of unpleasant surprises can be exposed.

Total replacement of a tub to get your home to sell faster may not have the best return on investment. But upgrading your bathtub to a modern look is part of how to increase a home’s resale value. If you’re considering a bath renovation as part of your strategy to get your house ready to sell or to increase home value for appraisal, consider the most economical approach for getting the maximum impact for the least cost.

It might not be the best investment to remove and replace a bathtub when a far more efficient and lower cost alternative is available — to refinish your existing bathtub and bring it up to modern standards with a fresh appearance that looks as if it’s brand new. This simple solution is often done by sharp homeowners working with experienced realtors in getting a home ready to show. It’s called staging.

Staging Your Home to Increase Resale Value and a Quicker Sale

Leading real estate sales people are experts in knowing how to stage a home for the best chance at a fast purchase and at the maximum price. They know the impact that first impressions have on a buyer, even if the home’s location is not optimal. Location can be offset by quality, and that’s often measured by the visual appearance of what’s in the kitchen and how the bathrooms come across.

Staging a home for sale is all about visual impact. Staging is a proven method of for making your home sell faster. It’s also about getting the highest price in a competitive market. Staging involves making everything in your home appear clean and inviting. It goes from furniture placement to creating inviting odors from fresh flowers or baking cookies. And staging carries right through to the bath.

You may have an older home with an attractive kitchen with today’s granite counters and stainless steel appliances. It may look good and smell good, but if your bathroom shouts of a time gone by and says it needs a major facelift, it might just be that turn-off that kills your deal. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution for upgrading dated bathtubs and sinks. It’s called refinishing.

Refinishing Bathtubs Increases a Home’s Resale Value

There is no doubt refinishing your bathtub or basins will increase your home’s resale value. This may be the best return on investment you can make in getting your home to sell quicker. It may also be the best value in investment, especially when compared to the time, disruption and expense of entirely replacing your tub.

Refinishing your bathtub costs far less than replacing it. When you have your tub professionally refinished by a reputable company like Custom Tub & Tile in Monrovia, Maryland, you’re guaranteed to get a tub that looks like new at a fraction of the price. It’s quick, easy and considerably less hassle than taking on a do-it-yourself project of ripping out your old tub and trying to squeeze a new one through a door that’s too small.

Refinishing your tub is a much better option than hiring a renovator to do a tub removal and replacement. Refinishing a tub involves one professional company like Custom Tub & Tile to come in and do an amazing job of restoring an old stained tub and leaving it gleaming white. Removing a tub may involve numerous trades including a contractor, a plumber, a tile setter and a painter.

Refinishing a tub is the most affordable option for updating your home on a budget. It’s a faster solution than replacing a tub, and the result will be almost indistinguishable. In fact, the average purchaser and their professional real estate agent are not going to be able to tell that your tub has been refinished. They’re going to naturally think you’ve renovated the bathroom and brought your home up to current standards.

Refinishing Your Bathtub Brings a Sense of Value

A prospective buyer takes many small details into account when making a decision about what’s likely to be the biggest investment in their lives. Turning your home into theirs is an emotional decision as well as a financial one. A buyer is just like you. They want the assurance they’re getting value for their money, and it’s the little things that add up.

Having a newly refinished bathtub is going to speak silently to a buyer. It says you’ve cared for the home and invested in its longevity. They see that as being a value that’s passed on to them. Nothing shows your care and attention to detail better than a beautiful bathroom that a new owner can take pride in.

A stained, chipped or rusted bathtub will do the opposite. Older fixtures, like cast-iron and enamel finished bathtubs, may still be in excellent shape in their strength and capacity. They may show a character that reflects the period they were installed, and that’s part of the charm of owning a character home.

Keeping your vintage tub may be non-negotiable in retaining the spirit of how and when your home was built. Many buyers are looking for exactly that. They want the fixtures and features of timeless taste and reflective representation that you can’t always find in many homes. However, they want the fixtures to be clean and attractive. Simply refinishing a tired tub is the perfect way to freshen a dull presence and make it shine.

It’s the combination of care that tells the eyes and the hearts of a homebuyer your home is the one for them. They’re looking for value. Refinishing a tub is one part of adding value, and it can offer a huge return when done right. Hiring the right company to refinish your old tub is part of that critical staging step that increases your home’s resale value.

Types of Bathtubs to Refinish Rather Than Replace

Bathtubs come in all shapes, sizes, colors and configurations. They come in different materials and qualities, too. Just about every type of bathtub can be refinished rather than replaced, and, in all cases, refinishing an old, worn tub will cost less than replacing, which increases your home’s resale value and makes your home sell faster.

There are two main materials used in manufacturing bathtubs. Metal is timeless, and it can be steel or cast iron where the structural metal is coated with a hard enamel finish. The second material is a composite material like fiberglass or acrylic. These synthetic bathtubs are coated with a finishing substance such as colored resin or gel.

Regardless of material, all types of bathtubs can be refinished as long as their structural integrity is intact. That includes metal tubs that aren’t seriously compromised by rust or composite bathtubs not broken or structurally compromised. In these situations, it may not be practical or economical to refinish a tub, and it must be replaced instead.

That’s not the case with the vast majority of tubs that need a face lift. If the structural shape is sound, a professional refinishing company like Custom Tub & Tile can take your old bathtub and refinish it so you and your buyer will never know it’s touched up. That includes resurfacing any of the different tub types like:

• Standard Tubs: These are the most common bathtubs in existence and are often built into the bathroom walls in older homes. They’re rectangular and closed in on three sides with the outer flange or apron being exposed for entry and exit. Older homes built before the 1980s usually have steel or iron tubs with heavy-duty enamel finishes. The 60s and 70s homes have coats of many colors and are prime candidates for refinishing into bright, modern shades of white.

Standard tubs are also the most difficult to replace as they’re structurally intact with the room and have to be broken apart for removal. They were also built-in before the doors were installed, and replacing a full-sized standard tub may be physically impossible to accomplish without removing interior and possibly exterior doors.

This makes refinishing a standard tub far more attractive from a practical and economic standpoint. Simply resurfacing a built-in standard tub is quick, easy and a great way to add resale value that’s also going to make your home more appealing, which adds up to a quicker sale.

• Corner Tubs: Larger bathrooms with greater space are more likely to have their bathtubs built into a corner. This gives a more open effect. The lack of enclosure has a less claustrophobic feel and adds to the sense of luxury. Corner tubs are usually dropped into a framed deck and then tiled into place.

This makes corner tubs difficult to replace without causing major structural damage and significant expense. They face similar problems with door access due to their size. Refinishing a corner tub is going to be considerably less expensive and give a far better return than replacing one.

• Free-Standing Tubs: Tubs that sit alone on the floor were very popular in vintage homes that weren’t equipped with the same plumbing features as today. They’re large and deep, and that gives a real sense of relaxation when laying in to soak. Many vintage cast iron bathtubs like the old claw foot models are highly sought after pieces of antiquity. They’re also available in modern replicas built of composite material.

Free-standing tubs are prime candidates for refinishing rather than replacing. Older claw foots may actually be irreplaceable, as they were manufactured long ago and discontinued. They’re usually still in excellent condition but show signs of wear like stains at the drain and chips in the enamel edges. Refinishing a free-standing tub is sometimes the only option, and it’s always the most affordable way to go.

• Jacuzzi Tubs: Whirlpool or Jacuzzi tubs are commonly used outdoors. Many people refer to them as hot tubs, and they’re sometimes large enough to hold a dozen people. They can also be expensive to buy and prohibitive to replace when showing signs of wear. These big tubs are usually composites and easily lend themselves to be refinished on site.

Some Jacuzzis are installed right into a bathroom, making them equally hard to replace when aged or damaged. Resurfacing an inside Jacuzzi is just as easy as refinishing a tub out on the deck, and it’s significantly less expensive than the alternative. Professional bathtub refinishers like Custom Tub & Tile are experts in giving new life to Jacuzzis just as they are at refurbishing free-standing, corner and standard models.

Bathtub Refinishing Process

Your unsightly bathtub that’s risking your quick and premium sale can be easily refinished by a professional company that specializes in tub resurfacing. There are do-it-yourself kits available in hardware and building supply stores that suggest a more affordable option than calling in an expert. However, these are often a gamble, and they rarely turn out well.

Professional bathtub refinishers are experienced in the process, and they’re knowledgeable with their tools and tricks of the trade. They also have the proper materials and the training in safely and successfully transforming worn-out tubs.

Custom Tub & Tile has a specific process they use to restore shine and beauty to an older bathtub. It’s a step-by-step procedure that’s proven to be the longest lasting and best value product they can deliver. If you select Custom Tub & Tile as your professional refinisher, you’ll see the experts work this way:

• Step One is protecting all surrounding surfaces. This includes the floor and surrounding walls as well as metal fixtures like taps and drains.
• Step Two is cleaning the old tub to remove all grime, film and contaminants. A clean surface is vital to starting a new appearance.
• Step Three is applying a chemical to etch the surface. This removes the old gloss and provides a base that will hold the new finish.
• Step Four is sanding and filling the tub surface. This is similar to painting areas of your walls or woodwork applying a lasting finish.
• Step Five is applying the new finish coats. This is a special material with a chemical base that’s exceptionally durable. Eight layers are applied to build up a hard and fast surface.
• Step Six is cleaning up. Your bathroom will be left in pristine condition and ready to be presented to discriminating purchasers who’ll be ready to make an offer.
  Step Seven is handing you a 5-year Warranty Certificate that’s transferable to the new owners.

The professional bathtub resurfacing experts at Custom Tub & Tile leave you knowing the job was done well and efficiently. That commitment to excellence reflects in business growth and testimonials from satisfied customers who attest to the value they’ve received from Custom Tub & Tile.

It’s not just homeowners who increased their sale price and sold their homes faster due to increased value from refinishing their tubs to a good-as-new state. It includes owners who intend to stay in their homes indefinitely and want to benefit from the affordable process of resurfacing their existing fixtures.

Custom Tub & Tile knows your resurfacing investment will pay back. Your old tub will appear new but without a high cost, resulting in your savings being turned into profit when you sell your home fast and for top dollar.

To book an appointment with a Custom Tub & Tile professional, contact us today. We’re happy to give you a free quote and discuss how bathtub refinishing increases a home’s resale value