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Rust-Oleum Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit, a Year Later (video update)

If you have any questions about this makeover, or product, please CLICK HERE to review the FAQ page.

Last April I wrote a post showing how I turned our ugly pink bathtub and tile surround, into a thing of beauty with the Rust-Oleum Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit.

How to update an ugly bathtub follow-up, a year later - Ask Anna

Since posting the pictures and my video review of the project, I have received countless questions about how the bathtub is holding up, if I’m still happy with it and would I still recommend it.

How to update an ugly bathtub follow-up, a year later - Ask Anna

During the process of painting the tub.

So almost a year later I’m back with a follow up video to answer your questions and let you know what I think of the product, how it’s holding up and more!

Now that you’ve heard my thoughts, I’d love to hear your thoughts! What do you think of the product, would you give it a try on your ugly bathtub or tile counter?

See the original video tutorial HERE. To purchase the Rust-Oleum Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit click HERE.

Video review of the Rust-Oleum Tub & Tile Kit, 1 year later - Ask Anna

This post contains some affiliate links, for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Comments

  1. Anna, Thank you so very much for this review! I have been waffling back and forth whether or not to replace an old claw-foot tub in our bathroom at our farm because the finish is so nasty and porous and it always looks filthy!! I am going to take the plunge and try this refinish kit! Thank you also for all that you do and all of the tips you share!! Great video too!! Big hugs and a jillion thanks!

    Reply

      • Hi there!
        I have a question about the tile painting. Was all of your grout perfectly filled in? My bathtub tile is extremely old and has chunks missing. Could I just paint over or do I need to fill those in first?
        Thanks!

      • I would fill in the cracks first. You can buy small bags of grout at Home Depot or Lowes and it’s pretty easy to fill in the cracked spots. 🙂

  2. What do you think about using this on floor tile – I do want to paint our 80’s yellow tub and tile but our floor is also yellow and white tile.

    Reply

    • I would use it on a counter top in the bathroom but not on the floor. It’s got a glossy finish that would look funny on the floor, in my opinion.

      Reply

  3. Looks great!!!!! Just one question .How many kits did it take to do tile walls and tub? Our bath tub is a bright yellow and tiles are white.

    Reply

  4. I used this years ago in a vintage home very successfully. I think we used it 7 years and told the new owner what it was. I just did the tub. I used it at this house on a shower and it cracked and peeled. So we took it out and are redoing from the studs. When the tile was removed we found such mold of every shape, color, texture. So I blame the poor performance on that. They used a weird material near the bottom which is prob why it got moldy. We are using crete board.

    Reply

  5. Hi Anna, you mentioned that this is your guest bathroom, and I am wondering how well the Rust-Oleum holds up in a bathroom that is used everyday. My master bath has, wait for it…….a mustard yellow tub and avocado green tiles! The master bath is the last room in the house for a re-model and I have blown my budget on rooms that get seen. I would love to just cover up the hideous until I save enough to tear the whole bathroom out.

    Reply

    • Oh wow, that sounds lovely. 🙂 This is our upstairs bathroom that’s my daughter’s bathroom, as well as our guest bathroom. We bathe my daughter e/o night so it doesn’t get used every day but almost just as much. 🙂 It has held up really well.

      Reply

  6. doing my tub and tile now…..did you do yours all at once? Wondering how I will do second coat on the tile without standing in/on the tub…

    Reply

    • I started at the bottom and worked my way down. The paint dries really quickly so by the time you wait an hour (like the directions say) you’ll be able to stand in the tub to start the second coat on the top. 🙂

      Reply

  7. Hello, I’ve started doing my bathroom counter, bath, & ceramic wall with another brand that is a low voc refinishing kit. I haven’t finished yet. Even though its low voc it still has a smell. Plus I’ve tested it for chipping & immediately chips. It’s been 4 days since I’ve done it. This is our main bathroom. So I don’t want something toxic.
    Does your kit have a really strong smell? I’m thinking of using the rustoleum on the tub if it resists scratching. If you could tell me what you think.

    Reply

    • It does smell when you put it on but if it’s a well ventilated room the smells goes w/in a day. This is a really quality product, we’ve had it in my daughter’s tub/shower for over a year and it has never scratched! I think it’s worth the initial smell to know the product will hold up. 🙂

      Reply

  8. Hello Anna,

    In your original posting you state that you have to remove the caulking? So you completely removed the old caulking and didn’t replace it?

    Reply

  9. Hey Anna you mentioned you painted the grout did you do that before or after painting the pink tiles white?

    Reply

    • I did it at the same time with the same paint I used on the tiles. I just rolled the roller over the tiles and also into the grout lines.

      Reply

  10. Your bathroom looks great! For some reason when I try to pull up your “one year later” video, it will not play!!

    Reply

      • After a few years I only had a couple little places that started chipping and to be honest I think it’s whatever my new housekeeper was using to clean the tub at the time because I had never had any problems before, and I didn’t have any after that. Until we moved a few months ago I was the one that cleaned the tub but even after having a couple little areas peel (and I mean little, less than the size of a pencil eraser) I would still do it all over again. It looks SO good and it’s 100 times better than the old pink tub.

  11. Hi Anna!

    First of all, I think that you tub looks amazing! 🙂 my fiancé and I are currently renting a town home with an ugly tub that I’m hoping this product can change. I believe our tub is a fiberglass, it has so much cracking and peeling. I’m assuming it’s been painted on quite a few times. I would like your advice on if this product would work for me. Please reply/email. Thank you so much in advance!

    Reply

    • This product would definitley be better then what has been used in the past but you would need to sand down the tub, to the original surface, before applying the product. If you don’t then this will also peel.

      Reply

  12. Anna, I am impressed with your results. I think this is my next project .
    Did you need to fill in uneven or worn grout BEFORE you painted or did the paint sort of fill those gaps??

    Thanks.

    Reply

      • Did you have to put any kind of clear coat on after all painting was done? Can you post a close up picture of the inside bottom of the tub now (a year later)? I have yellow tiles going halfway up wall and all of shower. Even floor. Seen that you posted not a good idea for floor. Any other suggestions for floor because I definately don’t want them.

      • I didn’t use any kind of clear coat after the paint was dry because it’s very durable. In fact the next day I was cleaning up my mess and the left over paint had dried into a solid mass. 🙂 I can email you a picture of my tub but there’s nowhere for me to leave a picture in this comment thread (although that would be nice). I’m not sure what to do about the floor tiles. You could paint your wall tiles with this product, then see what you think of it, and if you want to use it on your floor, I just know that I wouldn’t use it because I think it would be too slippery.

  13. I absolutely love the way this turned out! I just have two questions, 1. I’m going to do this is a stand up shower, its okay to paint the floor of the shower too, right? 2. Also, this is just personal opinion but our tile colors are pink and green (awful) lol. Our tile is throughout the whole shower and half way up the wall in most of the bathroom. If I do the shower I have to do all the tile. Do you think that will just be too much white? Do they have other colors? What is your opinion?

    Thank you so much!
    Danielle

    Reply

    • Ahhh, I forgot a third question. What is the color you painted the bathroom walls in the after pictures? Love!

      Reply

    • Hi, Danielle! I’m Anna’s assistant, Bethany. Anna generally doesn’t recommend this product for tile bathroom floors, but in the shower it should be fine. You may just want to use a bath mat to stick on the bottom of the shower floor to be safe, but Anna did paint this on the floor of the bathtub that her daughter uses and she hasn’t had an issue. Anna also wanted me to let you know that she thinks it will look fine with the white on the tile halfway up the wall. Rustoleum does have a few other colors, but they are basically variations of white (almond or biscuit are the other options). Hope this helps!

      Reply

  14. Do you have a suggestion for redoing a fiberglass tub & surround. I don’t this this prouct would be suitable for fiberglass. I don’t want to relace the whole tub and surround.

    Reply

    • Hi, Chris. I’m Anna’s assistant, Bethany. This product is designed for tile, ceramic, and fiberglass, so it should work well for you! Just make sure you give the fiberglass a good sanding to make the surface rough for the paint to adhere to. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  15. Hi Anna, thanks for the review. I can see you painted the overflow drain. Did you also paint the waste drain on the bottom of the tub? Or did you remove it first or mask around it with tape? If you masked it has there been any chipping in that spot? Thank you.

    Reply

    • I painted both, just because it was easier and I didn’t want to have a pink plug. 🙂 Only recently there has started to be a little chipping around the drain but nothing too noticeable (other than to me).

      Reply

  16. Anna, I painted the tiles and tub some time ago, looks great, any tips on how to clean the tub from soap and grease without killing the shine…
    Thanks

    Reply

  17. You answered my question about fiberglass. Thank you for a great post on how to do it and especially on how it has held up after a year!

    Reply

  18. I just finished refinishing my tub and surround, what are your suggestions as far as cleaning, and what type of bath mat should be used?

    Reply

  19. My porcelin tub feels like very rough sandpaper will one coat make it smooth or should I use two coats?. Or do I use bondo and sand smooth than apply coats? Just want it smooth on kids booties.

    Thanks

    Reply

    • I would do a really heavy sanding on your tub before applying any product. This product won’t make it smooth, it will only cover the ugly tile color. 🙂

      Reply

  20. Do you think that it would work on the inside of a commode? When we bought our fixer upper, the previous owners had painted the inside of the potty and tub with latex paint. I’ve sanded it off the tub and have scrubbed the potty A LOT and the paint in the bowl is still there and always makes the potty look dirty.

    Reply

    • Honestly I wouldn’t try it, I think it would be more hassle than it would be worth. I would just buy a new toilet, you can find them for around $100, and if you’re toilet is that old, you might be able to find a rebate from your State, if you buy an efficient one. We just replaced one of ours and got $100 from California for it!

      Reply

  21. Hi Anna,
    I too have a pink bathroom…..I recently painted it white with gray trim, (my entire apartment was beige). I am going take you suggestion and paint my tile and fiberglass insert. I’m going to assume that I can also paint my porcelain sink white, so I’m gonna do it! I will take before and after picks for you. Thank you for sharing this, you’ve saved me a lot of money!

    Reply

  22. I’m wondering if I should use this product on a tub that has non-slip built in to the tub? Thoughts? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Yes, I think it would work fine over that. I would apply an extra coat though to help prevent peeling, since the surface is more rough than the rest of the tub.

      Reply

  23. Hey, just used this, but the surface seems slight bumpy and you can absolutely tell it was painted. Wonder if I did something wrong 🙁 Did yours get that way? I literally just painted today so I’m hoping it will get better it the three days needed to dry? Would love your experience…

    Reply

    • Wow, I’m sorry, I’m just seeing this! I didn’t have any issues like that so I’m hoping yours cleared up. How does it look that that it’s been a couple weeks?

      Reply

  25. I’d love to know what cleaning products you use and how you prevent chipping. We just moved into a house that has this product on the tub and shower and the slightest bit of scrubbing chips it right off. Now we have a shower that is white with huge patches of pink everywhere. Definitely not happy! Any tips?

    Reply

  26. We are about to re finish our dated tile bathroom and tub but no matter how much we sand (400, 600, 220 grit, hand and orbital) it doesn’t seem to be making much of a difference in look or feel. Are we ok to move forward with painting?

    Reply

    • Yeah, it’s more to just scuff up the tile and remove any grime. If you’ve sanded it all thoroughly then I’m sure it’s fine, just make sure to wipe the tub down with a microfiber cloth, to remove all the sanding dust. 🙂

      Reply

  27. I have purchased the kit, and am ready to start on my shower, but after watching a bunch of YouTube videos, am noticing that people are posting about the paint peeling after a few months. Is your shower still looking good? I don’t know if the people who’s showers are peeling had skipped any steps or maybe just didn’t do as good of a job. Any recommendations for where to work extra hard to ensure no peeling? 🙂

    Reply

  28. Hello!!! I love this really looking to spruce up my entire bathroom that has taken on a dull white look and the whole bathroom is stil (insert sad face here) . So I was wondering interns of prepping did you sand it? The Amazon page on the product has many ppl talking about sanding and I’m renting my apartment + sanding the whole bathroom is just too much . Can you please advise? Thank you in advance ! Anjana

    Reply

    • I did a light sanding before applying the product but honestly if you’re renting, I wouldn’t do this to the tub. It would definitely make it look better but you would probably get in trouble with your landlord. :/

      Reply

  29. Hi Anne. It’s been a few years now since you’ve done the initial project and 2 more since the 1 yr update. Is everything still looking good? I would love to do this to my bathroom that has half walls all around plus the shower. I’m quite tired of the specal tiles we’ve been dealing with for over 20 years.

    Reply

    • Hi Megan! After a few years I only have a couple little places that started chipping and to be honest I think it’s whatever my new housekeeper was using to clean the tub because I had never had any problems before. So I’m back to being the one that cleans the tub but even after having a couple little areas peel (and I mean little, less than the size of a dime) I would still do it all over again. It looks SO good and it’s 100 times better than the old pink tub. I hope that helps!

      Reply

  30. Hi Anna – I would love to use this on my nasty old aging tub – but our tub surround is a vinyl linoleum. If I scrubbed the surface down enough, would the paint hold up on it as well or would you only recommend it be used on tile/porcelain?

    Reply

  31. Hello Anna,
    I am going to use this to rehab a garden tub. The surround is 1980’s white ceramic tile. So is a half wall and a raised bench inside the tub. How many kits should I buy? Is there any way of stopping at certain point and picking up on the next section the following day? It was recommended that grout lines be painted with a small brush ahead of rolling. Do you find this to be true? Or, does the product settle in the lines itself? Thanks in advance,
    Kristie
    PS. Following you now on Pinterest ?

    Reply

    • Hi Kristie! I recommend at least 2 kits, although you probably won’t use the full 2nd kit. As far as stopping and starting, you can’t stop mid coat because when it dries it would be really obvious. Also the product is self hardening so if you open a kit you’re going to want to finish it so it doesn’t harden over night. The painting part honestly doesn’t take too long though, it’s the prep work that takes the longest. As far as grout lines go, I found using the roller worked just fine. The product is self leveling so you could use a brush if you wanted to. Maybe try it with the roller first and then if you need to, switch to a brush. 🙂 Hope that all helps!

      Reply

      • Hi ??
        Just curious if you think grout lines could be painted or stained a different color after using this product?

      • I don’t think another type of paint would adhere to the finished product. I think it might end up being more of a hassle. The solid white looks good, I’ve never thought it looked bad, it reminds me of a fiberglass shower surround.

  32. Hi, I have Formica material around my bathtub and I would like to paint it white. Do you think this product would work? Thank you!

    Reply

  33. I’m interested trying this product on a very old and stained tub. I’m concerned about safety of the product since it smells so bad , is it dangerous to use ? Some other products called for using respirators ,Does this one?

    Reply

    • I didn’t use a respirator but I did have the window open and the fan on the whole time. 🙂 It definitely smelled bad but in my opinion it was worth it for the outcome. 🙂

      Reply

  34. Hi Anna,

    I noticed it’s been a couple of years now since you have refinished the tub. I was just wondering if you could comment on how it’s holding up after a couple of years.

    Thanks for the info!

    Reply

    • After a couple of years I only have a couple little places that started chipping and to be honest I think it’s whatever my new housekeeper was using to clean the tub because I had never had any problems before. So I’m back to being the one that cleans the tub but even after having a couple little areas peel (and I mean little, less than the size of a dime) I would still do it all over again. It looks SO good and it’s 100 times better than the old pink tub.

      Reply

  35. Hi Anna! I know your original post is years old, but I am looking for a solution for our old porcelain bathtub and tile walls. They have already been painted once before (originally turquoise and now white) but in areas it’s chipping. I wAs looking for a fix and it seems this will be awesome as long as I sand well beforehand.

    My only concern are the little chips / dings that have come out of the bathtub floor. I know you said that this product is self leveling…..Would it self level and fill in those little chips/dings in the tub floor?

    Thanks.

    Reply

    • Hi Karen, the product self levels so you don’t see the roller marks but I don’t think it would fill in the chip marks. I think you’d have to sand everything down, so the surface is smooth and level, before applying the product.

      Reply

  37. Hi Anna! I want to do this in my half bath on the walls. I’m a little leary after reading about it chipping. Did you have chipping on the walls, or just the tub?

    Reply

  39. I decided to try this product (if the worst possible thing occurs, it can’t look any worse than it does now), but I’m wondering if it will adhere to our tile that is on the wall. It is variegated green and tan and has the finish of a rough stone.

    Reply

    • If it’s a rough surface it will probably adhere really well, just make sure you do all the prep work, including the sanding, to scuff it up a little.

      Reply

  40. Hi Anna,
    Love the look of your shower/ bathtub. One question I have is, do you use a Rubbermaid shower mat (in the tub) with the suction cups? I’m assuming, if you did, you would of mentioned if the suction of the mat did any damage to your painted bathtub. I was just wondering. Thanks ! 🙂

    Reply

    • I didn’t have a mat in there but I think if you carefully pulled the suction cups off of the floor of the tub then you shouldn’t have a problem. 🙂

      Reply

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