Why You Should Install a Bathtub Drain Before the Tub Is Refinished

Why You Should Install a Bathtub Drain Before the Tub Is Refinished

This one’s for you, plumbers, general contractors, and handymen! We always enjoy working alongside other tradespeople to help homeowners transform their bathrooms. In the process, one of the most common challenges we face regards the bathtub drain and other fixtures. Plumbers, GCs, and handymen generally want to leave the bathtub drain out until the tub is refinished. But is leaving the drain out the right choice? As tub refinishing experts, we don’t think so. Here’s why.

Why We Want the Bathtub Drain Installed Before Refinishing

Here’s the deal: most plumbers, general contractors, and handymen are talented professionals. They just haven’t refinished a lot of tubs. To them, installing the drain before refinishing seems counterintuitive —why install a new drain before the tub gets worked on?

Installing the Drain Before Refinishing Reduces the Chance of Damage

The most important reason we want the drain installed in your tub before we refinish it is because it avoids damage to the new coating at the most critical point in the tub. In order to make the drain seal, you must torque the drain into the new coating. This could cause minor and even major damage to the area where the drain connects to the tub.

An Installed Drain Creates a Proper Seal

The area of around a bathtub drain is critical to the success and lifespan of the refinished surface. Why? It stays wet longer because water collects near the drain. Depending on the time frame that the tub was manufactured in and the quality of the tub in that era, the hole that the drain passes thru, is un likely to be the same “round” as the drain. This give water a place to hide and exacerbates the situation. So, we counter this by add a few extra drop of coating around the drain to be sure that the drain is seal and water has limited ability to negatively impact the coating. When we can seal the drain right to the tub and allow it to cure properly, it creates the seal necessary to prolong the life of the refinish. If we install the drain after the refinish, it will never seal properly and may lead to water damage issues in the future.

We’ll get off our soapbox now. But these little details matter. They make the difference between a great refinishing job that lasts for years and one that fails prematurely. They also make the difference between regular tub refinishers and The Tub Guys. We work hard to produce the best new finish for your tub, even if that means educating the other guys working on your bathroom remodel.

Want to learn more about refinishing your tub? Contact the Tub Guys and we’ll help you decide if refinishing is your best option. We look forward to hearing from you.