Can I paint a bath if it has already been painted with wall paint?

[Katherine29]

We bought a house and the previous owner painted the bath with regular wall paint which is chipping off. How can I paint over it so it is safe for my kids to have a bath. Thank you! 

[EricL]

Hello @Katherine29 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about painting your bath.

Before we begin can I please ask you to test if your bath is made out of metal. I suggest using a fridge magnet on the wall of the bath. The reason for this is that acrylic baths can only be repainted with specialty epoxy paint, and it can only be applied by a trained specialist. Whereas a ceramic metal bath can be painted with either White Knight 500ml White Tub And Basin Paint or Rust-Oleum Tub And Tile Refinishing Kit.

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to paint a bath

Would it be possible for you to post a photo of the damaged portion of the bath? Perhaps it can be fixed with a patch. 

Please remember to wear personal protection such as gloves, goggles and a mask when working on your project.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Katherine29]

Thanks Eric.I’ve tested with a magnet and it is a metal bath. Based on my photos, what do you suggest is the best way? Is it safe to bathe in it, if there is paint coming off like this?

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Katherine29,

Perhaps you have first-hand information that it is wall paint, or it could be a bath paint similar to White Knight 500ml White Tub And Basin Paint. Although specifically designed bath paints can be applied, they are not particularly durable when it comes to sharp objects. Something might have scraped this area and caused the paint to come off. Alternatively, the tub might not have been cleaned or sanded correctly to ensure an adequate bond. From the look of it, it appears to be an epoxy bathtub paint and not a wallpaint.

If it is indeed wall paint, it must be entirely removed to restore the bath with the correct product. This would require sanding back to the original pink coating. If it were bathtub paint, you'd just need to sand the chipped areas and re-coat the entire bath.

Whether it is chipped wall paint or bathtub paint, I don't see any inherent safety risks in bathing in the tub. However, I will point out that there is a chance that the pink coating does contain lead, so if you are to sand the bath back to re-apply new paint, then you should take safety precautions when doing so. I had a similar pink bath at my property, and when tested, it did give a positive result for lead. I took appropriate safety precautions, wore PPE, and wet sanded it to avoid creating airborne particles.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell