I recently bought a home built in 1945 and discovered that I have a cast iron tub that's showing some signs of wear, with chips and rust appearing in various spots. I've heard that these tubs can leach lead, which has me worried. I was quoted $700 for a service that would strip the old coating, apply bondo to the rusted areas, and reglaze the tub. However, since I'm on a well system with awful iron levels, I'm concerned that the rust will likely return. Should I proceed with this repair or consider replacing the tub altogether?
4 Answers
You might be able to tackle this yourself if you're up for it! Also, adding a water softener could really help with those plumbing issues you’re experiencing. For lower levels of iron, that should work pretty well, but if you’ve got a lot of iron in your water, you might want to look into an iron filter or oxidizer instead. And about the lead, unless you're drinking from the tub, you should be fine; lead isn't absorbed through the skin. Just make sure to prep the surface well if you decide to reglaze it yourself—check out some YouTube videos for guidance!
I had a similar experience where my tub was reglazed by the previous owner, but it started bubbling and peeling soon after. I ended up spending $600 on a brand new Kohler cast iron tub and smashed the old one. For that kind of money, I’d recommend just getting a new tub—it’ll save you the headaches later!
With a cast iron tub, reglazing can make it look good for a short time, but given that your water has high iron levels, you might just be buying yourself some more problems. Replacing it with a new enamel or acrylic tub could be a more durable solution in the long run and would help avoid any worries about lead. Even though reglazing is cheaper at first, you might end up saving yourself a lot of hassle down the line.
Reglazing can give you a nice finish for a bit, but given your rust problems and if you're using well water, it's probably just a temporary fix. You might find yourself back at square one in a few years. Considering the cost, it might be smarter to invest in a new tub instead.