I have an ancient clawfoot tub that I'm ONLY going to be using outside as an herb garden, so I don't need a pro-refinish.

My problem is about 20 yrs ago the friend that gave it to me had painted it w/PINK housepaint - including the feet. I've been toting around this pink monstrosity for over a decade and now that I own a home, I want to get rid of the pink paint.

It has been an OUTSIDE tub since I've known it, so it has some rust some spots, particularly under bubbling paint at the bottom and LOTS of rust on the feet and screws.

How do I:
1. Strip the paint? I'd rather not use a chemical, but I've been sanding and it's taking FOREVER as some of the nasty paint is stubborn.

2. How can I get said paint off the INTERIOR porcelain part? Remember, I don't need to salvage this part, but I don't want it to be pink either.

3. Get rid of the rust, or stop the rust? Coke? Does the rust need to be "treated" before I repaint?

4. What kind of paint should I paint it so it will not continue to rust outside? Rustoleum? Should I use a sealant after I'm done painting it?

Thanks in advance all!!!

 

Welcome to the diy forums!

I'm suprised that house paint stuck to the tub enamel. You should be able to remove the pink paint with paint and varnish remover. If the paint is adhered well, a fresh coat of oil base exterior paint should adhere to it ok. You do need to sand and prime any rusty areas.

All oil base enamels are rust resistant to some extent. The main thing is to use a rust prevenative primer. With 2 coats of oil base enamel there shouldn't be any need for any sealant.

 

Hello- Found this question and thought it seems helpful for our situation- we have a tub, although an inside use tub, that is painted blue on the exterior and the feet. My question is: will sanding or even stripping the exterior to remove the paint damage what I assume is enamel on the outside of the tub?

I'm worried about scratches from the paint removal process that might make the exterior look worse than it does now with the blue paint (which would be, admittedly, hard to do, as bad as the blue paint looks).