Bathtub Reglazing in New York City

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Cast Iron Tub Refinishing in NYC

Most cast-iron bathtubs in NYC apartments were installed between 1900 and 1970, and most of them are still in use today. The metal itself is essentially indestructible at the timescale of a building — what wears out is the porcelain enamel coating that gives the tub its smooth white surface. Refinishing restores that surface without touching the iron underneath.

Replacing a cast-iron tub is rarely worth it once you understand the logistics. A standard 5-foot tub weighs 250–400 pounds; the original installation was often done before the bathroom walls or tile were finished, which means the only way to remove the tub now is to cut it into pieces inside the bathroom. Refinishing takes one visit and preserves a fixture that, in most cases, will outlast the rest of the apartment.

How to tell if you have a cast iron tub

Cast iron is not the only material bathtubs are made from, and people often aren’t sure what they have. The most common types you’ll find in a NYC apartment:

Cast iron (enameled)

Heaviest by far. Made until roughly the 1970s in standard residential. Tap the side — you’ll hear a dull, dense thud, not a hollow ring.

Porcelain-on-steel (enameled)

Most common in apartments built or renovated after 1960. Lighter than cast iron — you can usually lift one corner with one hand. Tapping gives a metallic ring.

Acrylic

The lightest. Has a slight flex if you push on the side, and feels warmer to the touch.

If you’re not sure, a magnet works on both cast iron and porcelain-on-steel (they’re both iron-based), but only cast iron has the dense weight and dull sound. We can tell as soon as we walk in, but you can also check by lifting one corner. If it doesn’t budge, it’s cast iron.

Why we refinish only the bathing surface

The enamel is what wears out

The cast iron body of a tub from 1925 is, almost without exception, still structurally sound today. What wears out is the porcelain enamel — the smooth white surface that was fired onto the iron at the factory at very high temperatures. Original factory enamel was thinner than people think (typically 30–50 mils) and can chip, crack, or stain over decades of daily use.

The most common failure point we see is around the drain, where dropped shampoo bottles, toiletries, and cleaning tools wear through the enamel over time. From there, water can reach the underlying iron and rust starts to spread sideways under the surrounding enamel, lifting it.

Most of these tubs have been refinished before

A cast iron tub in a NYC apartment has often been refinished at least once already, sometimes two or three times. When we start a job, the first thing we do is figure out what’s on the surface — original enamel? Spray-on coating from 10 years ago? Multiple layers stacked on each other? Each layer has to either be bonded to or stripped, and that decision shapes the rest of the work.

When previous coatings are failing — peeling, flaking, or lifting from underneath — we strip them down to bare metal, neutralize any surface rust, and apply a fresh pour-on coat. The new coat bonds to clean prepared metal much better than to a layer of failing material.

The case against replacement

A new cast iron tub from a major manufacturer (Kohler, American Standard) runs $1,500–$3,000 before installation. Installation in an existing apartment adds another $2,000–$5,000 because of the work involved in removing the old tub — which often means cutting it apart inside the bathroom, since these tubs were installed before the tile and walls were finished.

The total replacement project usually takes a week or longer in a NYC apartment and shuts down the bathroom for the duration. Refinishing takes one visit, costs around 10% of the replacement project, and doesn’t touch the tile, plumbing, or walls.

The only time replacement is the right call is when the cast iron itself has rusted through from the back (rare, usually from chronic leaks underneath), or when the tub has a structural crack that goes deeper than the enamel. We’ll tell you straight up if that’s what’s happening — we don’t take work that’s going to fail.

Meet Your Cast Iron Tub Refinishing Expert

Hi, I'm Artem.

When you book with New York Tubs, you aren't getting a random sub-contractor. You're getting a master refinisher with over a decade of experience.

For over a decade I've worked in tub refinishing, and I've personally refinished hundreds of tubs — every job done by me, start to finish. My reputation is built on durable, long-lasting results, a clean process with no solvent fumes, and full respect for your home.

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10+ Years of Professional Experience
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Fully Licensed & Insured
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Backed by a 5-Year Warranty

Founder & Lead Technician

Professional Reglazing Services & Pricing

Sink Reglazing

Pour-On Method
Ready in 24 hours
Odorless

Starting at:

$285

*tax included

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Shower Reglazing

Pour-On Method
Ready in 24 hours
Odorless

Starting at:

$355

*tax included

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Bathtub Reglazing

Pour-On Method
Ready in 24 hours
Odorless

Starting at:

$435

*tax included

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Additional Services

Caulking

Free with bathtub service

Distance surcharge

Travel fee $25–$60 for some areas — free in Brooklyn

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Why the Pour-On Method Wins — Every Time

Criteria	Traditional Spray-On Method	OUR METHOD Pour-On Application
Typical lifespan	1-3 years	10-15 years
On-Site Work Time	~5 hours	3-4 hours
Coat thickness	6 mils	30–40 mils (5× thicker)
Odor during work	Strong solvent smell, lingers	No solvent smell
VOC content	High	Low
Safe to stay home	No — residents usually vacate	Yes
Ready to Use	~48 Hours	24 hours
Long-Term Value	Spray-on has a lower up-front cost, but the coating usually needs to be redone every couple of years.	A pour-on coat lasts long enough that most clients replace or sell the tub before the finish needs to be redone.

FAQ

My cast iron tub has a chip near the drain. Do I need a full refinishing or just a chip repair?

Depends on the size and how much surrounding enamel is compromised. A clean chip the size of a coin with sound enamel around it can be repaired in place — see our chip repair page. Multiple chips, spreading chips, or chips that have started to rust at the bottom usually mean it’s time for a full refinish, since the underlying issue (worn-out enamel) is going to keep producing new chips.

My tub is rusting around the drain. Can it still be saved?

Usually yes. Surface rust comes from water reaching the iron through cracks in the enamel — but the rust is usually shallow and doesn’t compromise the structural metal. We sand back to bare iron, neutralize the rust, and apply a fresh coat. The only time this doesn’t work is when the iron itself has rusted all the way through (you’d see this as actual holes or visible deformation), which is very rare.

How much does cast iron tub refinishing cost in NYC?

Starting at $435 for a standard 5-foot built-in tub. Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island jobs include a travel fee of $25–$60. Brooklyn jobs are at the standard rate. Full pricing details on our pricing page.

Will the new coat be as durable as the original factory enamel?

Different durability profiles. Factory enamel is harder but more brittle — it’s why drops chip it. A pour-on coat is softer but more flexible, so it absorbs impact better. In practical terms, a properly applied pour-on coating lasts 10–15 years before showing wear, which is comparable to how long original enamel typically goes without major damage. We back it with a 5-year warranty.

How long does cast iron tub refinishing take?

Three to four hours on site. The coating then needs 24 hours to cure before the tub can be used.

Can my tub be refinished if it's been refinished before?

Yes, this is common. We see two scenarios. (1) The previous coat is still bonded but worn — we can prep over it and apply a new coat. (2) The previous coat is peeling or lifting — we strip it down to bare metal first, then apply the new coat. Both scenarios are routine work for us.

Should I DIY this?

People do try. The materials are available online, and the process looks straightforward on YouTube. In practice, it almost always goes wrong, and we get called to strip and redo failed DIY jobs more often than to do fresh work on never-refinished tubs.

Three things make this work hard to DIY:

The prep is the whole job. 80% of getting a good result is in the sanding, cleaning, and degreasing. Skip a step or do it incorrectly, and the new coat won’t bond — it will look fine for a few months and then start peeling.
The material has a working time. Once mixed, pour-on coating has about 60 minutes before it starts to set. If you’re not ready to apply when the timer starts, you’ve wasted a $200 kit.
Dust and ventilation matter more than people think. Any airborne contamination during the cure shows up as visible defects in the finish that can’t be fixed without stripping and starting over.

If you’ve never done it before, the realistic outcome is a tub that looks OK for a few months and then visibly fails — at which point you’ll need a professional to strip it before any second attempt. The professional cost ends up being the same or higher than just doing it right the first time.