Is your bathroom old,f i x t u res faded orstained, hues of

t u rquoises and pinks thath a rken back to a time whenC h a rl i e’s An g e l s and Miami Vi c ewe re first-runs, not re runs? Sothe option that comes imme-diately to mind, of course, is ab a t h room remodeling duringwhich eve rything will be gut-ted, plumbers and carpentersand tradespeople will be inyour home for days if notweeks, and yo u’ll be livingwithout your bathroom thee n t i re time. The next thing tocome to mind, naturally, is$$$$. And rest assured, it willbe expensive, the re n ova t i o no p t i o n .

Next, you might consider abathtub acrylic liner that fitssnugly over the tub. T h e re ares e veral reasons for re c o n s i d e r-ing this option. First, acry l i cliners cover up underlying

p roblems instead of fixingthem. The moisture in bath-rooms can create mold ande ven eat away at structural ele-ments that need to bea d d ressed, not cove red. Se c-ond, there is the possibility ofwater getting trapped betwe e nthe liner and tub, again withthe damaging potential for cre-ating sealed-in mold and mil-d ew. Next, acrylic liner in-stallations are, again, expen-

s i ve. And finally, because yo ua re adding a layer of materialto your tub, its area logicallywill become smaller.

So what other alternatives areout there for you to have a‘n ew’ bathroom? I found a farm o re reasonable, less expen-s i ve, and ve ry satisfying optionto be reglazing or re f i n i n i s h i n gof tub, sink, counter, and tile.And the reglazing materials

bond and adhere to extensives u rfaces: cast iron, porc e l a i n ,and fiberglass tubs and showe re n c l o s u res, and ceramic tilewalls and floors.

In vestigating this re g l a z i n ga l t e r n a t i ve for myself—andselecting it with wonderf u l

results—I was fortunate tofind and work with Ga ryMott, owner and operator ofFa i rfield County’s Ba t h t u b R x ,a highly sought after re-g l a ze r / re f i n i s h e r, completelylicensed, certified, and insure d .

Bat h room re m odeling? Go for glazeby JUDIE SZUETS ■ Special to The Hour

Contributed photos.

The above two photos represent the same tub five hours from start to finish. It still has the look, feel, and sound of the cast iron tubbecause it is not covered up with plastic; it is usable 24 hours from the time spraying is finished. The cost is typically half or less than theacrylic liner systems.

THE SAFEWAY STEP:Tub to Shower Conversions

Convert your bathtub into a walk-in shower. A safer entryinto your bathtub/shower area is easy to tranform. BathtubRx, LLC offers one of the most accessible bathroom renova-tions to date. The access into the tub area is easier thanyou can imagine, and yet it's affordable at the same time.

The Safeway Step is installed using the bathroom’s presenttub, whether it's made of fiberglass, steel, or even castiron.

The Safeway Step aids seniors and caregivers by remov-ing their biggest barrier in the tub area. On most tubs, theaccessible entry is only about four or five inches high, pro-viding easier access for the elderly or disabled.

Water drains properly, and in many cases the existingshower curtain can still be used because the step-up isabout two inches (2") above the inside tub-floor. In somecases the curtain may need to be lowered or a longershower curtains can be purchased.

Installation takes less than one full day.

Visit BathtubRx, LLC website for more information and pho-tos of the Safeway Step System by visiting www.bath -tubrx.com, calling 203.984.3931, or emailing sales@bath -tubrx.com. H • R E

See “Reglazing” page 14

8 | H A B I T A T S & R E A L E S T A T E • W h e re we live • How we live

Re f i n i s h i n g / reglazing has beena round for many years andalthough alternative competi-tors may tell you that re f i n i s h-ing will peel and not last, thatis only true if done withoutusing the proper materials orp e rformed without the pro p e rp repping. Another unwisereglazing option is to treat it asa DIY project with a ‘kit.”

Ba t h t u b R x’s Ga ry Mott is aPBRA (Professional Ba t h t u bRefinishing Assocation) mem-b e r, a membership he couldonly achieve after completing ave ry rigorous training pro g r a min Florida. PBRA offers someof the best products and sup-p o rt in the industry. [PBRA isa distributor of Bond-Rite toits members—this is an acid-f ree system with an exc l u s i vebonding agent, enabling the“f u s i n g” of a durable glaze ontoyour tub fixture or tile. T h ep rocess is chemical we l d i n gversus patching. This smoothh a rd finish will not peel andwill look like new for manyyears to come as long as it isc a red for pro p e r l y. ]

The Pro c e s sA bathtub alone can be re f i n-ished in approximately five tosix hours, and can be usedagain 24 hours after comple-tion. If an entire bathroom isto be refinished, Mott likes toschedule two days, and heschedules only one bathro o mp roject per day. Ba t h t u b R Xcan also refinish tile above thetub and around the ro o m ,sinks, and countertops. T h i sreglazing seals the grout aswell, which helps eliminate

mold and mildew.

The reglazing process invo l ve staping masking around alla reas to be protected as theg l a ze is applied with an HVLP(high volume low pre s s u re )system—this way there is min-imal ove r s p r a y. Fumes areexhausted through a windowand Mott also sets up an airpurifier outside of the bath-room to help with any re s i d u a lodors or fumes that maye s c a p e .

It is ve ry important to prep thet u b, a step that takes time to dop ro p e r l y. Some refinishers willwipe the tub down, mask ito f f, shoot it with spray and goto their next job. Mo t t’s pre pw o rk was impre s s i ve — a n di m p o rtant. Although each cus-tomer is asked to follow a seriesof steps for cleaning their tub,Mott then comes in and cleansit with as many as five differe n tcleaning agents to make cer-tain it is entirely clean. He istechnically skilled at re p a i r i n gdents and scratches—anotherve ry critical pre p a r a t i o n s t e pfor the tub and other are a sreceiving glaze .

The tub and bathroom are a sa re then sprayed evenly withthe glaze to a high sheen andleft to dry for 24 hours. I hadall the surfaces in my bath-room refinished to white andthe results are transformativeand re m a rkable—and far morecost effective than gutting theb a t h room for a remodel. Aslong as I follow Mo t t’s instru c-tions for proper care, he pro m-ises the glaze will last for manyye a r s .

Ga ry Mott re s e a rched his

choice of profession ve ry care-fully before selecting re f i n i s h-ing and reglazing. He hadw o rked for Brinks in Da r i e nfor 22 years managing IT.When the company re l o c a t e dto Texas he was asked to jointhe move, but took the oppor-tunity to make a career changeand stay in this area where hisfamily and friends reside.

He wanted to do somethingthat was different, a serv i c ethat not many companies orindividuals provide. In re-s e a rching franchises he camea c ross the refinishing trade butchose not to buy a franchise;instead he located a top train-ing school in Florida, complet-ed training, and began oncehome again by refinishing hisown bathrooms (a) for morepractice including re p a i r i n gdents and scratches, and (b) toe n s u re that the process pro-duced the highest level ofresults and was lasting. Andthen he began the ve n t u re thatis today known as Ba t h t u b R x .He works throughout Fa i rf i e l dCounty and often beyond, andis geared more tow a rds re s i-dential accounts though he isalways available for givingc o m m e rcial estimates.

Be yond all else, Ga ry was re l i-able, re s p o n s i ve and re s p o n s i-ble (important when leavingsomeone alone in your home),highly skilled, and ve ry easy tocommunicate and discuss myd e s i res and objectives with.You can check out Ba t h t u b R xfor more information or to seeadditional before and afterphotos by visiting w w w. b a t h -t u b rx . c o m on the we b, calling(203) 984-3931, or emailings a l e s @ b a t h t u b rx . c o m. H • R E

1 4 | H A B I T A T S & R E A L E S T A T E S H O W C A S E • W h e re we live • How we live

B a t h t u b R xContinued from page 8 FAQs ABOUT

REFINISHING / REGLAZINGQ. How long does it take to refinish a tub?A. Approximately 5 to 6 hours.

Q. How long do I have to wait before I can use my tub afterrefinishing?A. It can be used 24 hours later, but 48 hours is recommend-ed for absolute certainty.

Q. How long does the refinished tub last?A. Many years, depending on the care it gets.

Q. Can you change the color of my tub and wall tile?A. Yes

Q. What should I do before BathtubRx arrives?A. Remove all items from the countertops and bathtub area.Clean the tub/tile the best you can. Vacuum the area. Dustblowing onto the surface needs to be avoided.

Q. Will there be fumes?A. Yes, there are fumes generated however, the fumes arevented out a window with a commercial grade exhaust sys-tem; plastic is placed over the door opening and an air puri-fier (Ozonator) runs out of the bathroom to help zap anyfumes that may escape the bathroom. This works extremelywell.

Q. What is the cost compared to a acrylic liner system.A. Approximately one-third to one-half the cost.

Q. Why isn't it cheaper to buy a new tub?A. When you compare one or more estimates that reflect thetotal cost of the installation of a new tub with the cost to refin-ish/reglaze, you will find that refinishing saves time and money. When you consider the cost of hiring a plumber/con-tractor as well as purchasing a new tub, you will find that theprice far exceeds reglazing your existing fixture. Work byBathtubRx is completed in less than one day. Therefore, inmost cases, you save time, money, and mess.

Q. Do you change any of the plumbing fixtures?A. Plumbing problems (leaks, broken fixtures, etc.) must beresolved before the tub is refinished.

Q. What about my shower door?A. Doors must be removed prior to refinishing the tub.

w i n d ow s . . . My home doesn’tdistract from the attractiveneighborhood I live in.”Home improvements are nec-e s s a ry and comfortably fundedwith the help of a re verse mort-g a g e .

For all, re verse mortgages can

c reate a sense of ease and peaceof mind that finances will bebetter cove red and taken careo f. “Thank you for lifting thisb u rden from us. With the lineof credit I can pay all my billsoff and live a useful life,”e x p ressed a senior borrowe rf rom Oregon.

“This re verse mortgage has notonly eased my concern at hav-

ing to make a monthly housepayment, but has also give nme a sense of security,” says asatisfied borrower from Cali-f o r n i a .

A re verse mortgage could beright for you if you are 62 ye a r sof age or older, would like toremain in your home, andcould use some extra cash tohelp you with your financial

needs.

Frances Schneider is a re ve r s em o rtgage specialist for Fi n a n-cial Freedom Senior Fu n d i n gCorporation (w w w. f i n a n c i a l -f re e d o m . c o m). For more infor-mation call (203) 542-0719 orf s c h n e i d e r @ f i n a n c i a l f re e -d o m . c o m.

*Consult Financial Advisor.

**Not all products available inall states. It is important to knowthat with adjustable rate mort -gages, an increase in the interestrate could affect the amount ofmoney available to borrow in thefuture and the amount of moneyowed when the loan becomes due.Make sure you understand thefeatures associated with the loanprogram you choose.

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R e v e r s eContinued from page 7