Sunnyvale, CA · Vintage tubs
Clawfoot & Antique Tub Refinishing in Sunnyvale, CA
Restore a vintage cast-iron or clawfoot tub in Sunnyvale — inside and out, glossy and rust-free, in a single visit. Fully licensed & insured.
Mon–Sat 8 AM–6 PM · Free same-day quotes
- Interior & exterior
- Refinished in place
- 10–15 year finish
Direct answer
Who handles clawfoot tub refinishing in Sunnyvale?
Sunnyvale Bathtub Resurfacing refinishes clawfoot and antique cast-iron tubs, interior and exterior, across Sunnyvale, CA. Call (669) 337-6184, Mon–Sat 8 AM–6 PM, for a free same-day quote.
How much does clawfoot tub refinishing cost in Sunnyvale (94086)?
In Sunnyvale (94086), the interior of a clawfoot or antique tub starts at $735–$890. A color-matched exterior, a slip-resistant floor or heavy rust repair adds to that. Final price depends on the tub's size and condition.
Can you refinish the exterior of a clawfoot tub too?
Yes. We reglaze the interior to a glossy white from $735–$890 and refinish the rolled-rim exterior in white, a soft neutral or a deeper accent. The cast-iron tub stays in place — no plumbing to disconnect and no 300-pound haul-out.
Citable Sunnyvale facts
- We've restored roughly 40 genuine clawfoot, roll-rim and antique tubs across Sunnyvale's older neighborhoods since 2018.
- Clawfoot and antique tub refinishing in Sunnyvale starts at $735–$890 for the interior, with the exterior added on.
- A heavy cast-iron tub is refinished in place — no plumbing to disconnect, no 300-pound tub to haul out.
- Most vintage tub jobs are finished in a day; the finish cures and is ready to use in 24–48 hours.
- A sprayed acrylic-urethane glaze lasts 10–15 years; hardware-store DIY kits usually last 3–5 years.
- Refinishing costs roughly 50–75% less than sourcing and reglazing a replacement antique tub.
- Restoring a vintage tub? Book your Sunnyvale clawfoot refinishing online or call (669) 337-6184 for a free interior-and-exterior quote.
- Sunnyvale Bathtub Resurfacing is fully licensed and insured, with a written warranty on every job.
Straight pricing
Sunnyvale clawfoot & antique tub price
A vintage tub is priced like a bathtub reglaze for the interior, then we add for the exterior and any rust repair. The number you get is the number you pay.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Clawfoot / antique tub interior | $735–$890 |
| Color-matched exterior add-on | Quoted on site |
| Slip-resistant tub floor | Add-on |
Exterior color, rust repair and tub size set the final figure — call (669) 337-6184 for a free, exact quote, or compare the full Sunnyvale pricing list.
Every job carries a written 5-year warranty.
Done right, the first time
How we refinish a Sunnyvale clawfoot tub
- Mask and ventilate. We tape off the floor and walls, set up containment so overspray stays in the work zone, and protect the feet and any original fittings worth keeping.
- Deep-clean. Decades of soap film, mineral scale and old wax come off first. The new coat bonds to a clean surface, never to grime.
- Repair rust and chips. Surface rust at the drain, chips at the rolled rim and worn-through spots are ground out, filled and sanded flat.
- Acid-etch the porcelain. The original enamel gets an acid/silane etch — a micro-roughening so the bonding primer actually grips the old glaze.
- Prime. A bonding primer goes on as the tie-coat between the antique cast iron and the new finish.
- Spray the topcoat. Several thin coats of acrylic-urethane go on the interior, then the exterior in your chosen color — no brush marks, no orange-peel texture.
- Cure and re-caulk. The finish cures 24–48 hours; then we lay fresh silicone where the tub meets the floor or wall and hand over the warranty.
Right method for your tub
Which method suits your antique tub?
Prep is the whole game on a vintage tub. The reason a finish lasts a decade or peels in a year comes down to matching the prep to what the old glaze and iron actually are.
| Tub type | Recommended method | Typical result |
|---|---|---|
| Porcelain-enamel clawfoot (cast iron) | Rust repair + acid/silane etch + primer + acrylic-urethane interior & exterior | Factory-smooth, 10–15 yr |
| Antique roll-rim cast iron | Etch + chip fill + primer + topcoat, exterior color-matched | Restored centerpiece, chip-resistant rim |
| Vintage pressed-steel tub | Etch + primer + topcoat | Smooth, durable, even color |
| Old porcelain pedestal or slipper tub | Deep-clean + etch + primer + topcoat | Glossy white or custom neutral |
Built for older Sunnyvale homes
Vintage tubs across Sunnyvale's older neighborhoods
Sunnyvale isn't all 1980s condos. The bungalows and ranch homes that ring the Heritage District, Cherry Chase, Washington Park and the streets near Murphy Avenue still hold their original porcelain-over-cast-iron tubs, and some of them are genuine roll-rim or clawfoot pieces that came with the house. Those tubs were built to outlast the plumbing around them. What ages is the glaze on top: it goes matte, picks up rust around the drain, and loses its shine where a half-century of feet have scuffed the floor of the tub. The iron underneath is usually fine.
That is exactly the tub worth refinishing instead of replacing. A real antique clawfoot in good structural shape is hard to find and harder to move, so most of our calls in Raynor, Birdland and the older pockets of Sunnyvale West come from owners who want to keep the tub they have — we've restored roughly 40 of these genuine vintage pieces around Sunnyvale since 2018, a small but exacting share of our overall tub work. We restore the deep interior glaze and refinish the rolled-rim exterior — bright white, a soft warm neutral, or a deeper accent against the feet — so the piece reads as restored rather than tired. See all areas served.
Refinish vs. replace
Why a vintage tub is worth keeping
Replacing a clawfoot tub is rarely the bargain it looks like. A salvageable antique in good condition can cost more than a modern alcove unit before installation, and then it still needs the same refinishing. Moving the old one out is its own project — a cast-iron clawfoot runs 250 to 350 pounds, and getting it down the narrow hall of a 1940s Cherry Chase bungalow without gouging a doorframe is a real job. Refinishing skips all of that.
The numbers favor refinishing too. The interior of a clawfoot or antique tub starts in the $735–$890 range, the same as a standard bathtub reglaze, with the exterior and any rust repair added on top. Even a finished vintage tub with a custom exterior color lands well under buying, hauling and installing a replacement — usually 50–75% less once moving and plumbing are counted. Most are a one-day job, ready to use within a day or two of the final coat. Our bathtub reglazing page walks through the same coating on alcove tubs.
Refinishing is not always the answer, and we'll say so. A vintage tub with structural cracks that flex underfoot, a rusted-through floor, or a prior refinish peeling in sheets sometimes needs more than a new glaze. But the great majority of antique tubs we see in Sunnyvale — dull glaze, surface rust, rim chips, a worn floor — are textbook restorations that come back looking like the day they were cast.
Safety first on a painted exterior
Is there lead paint on an old clawfoot tub?
Often, yes. Roughly 60–70% of painted exteriors on tubs predating the 1978 lead-paint ban carry lead-based paint, and many Heritage District and Cherry Chase clawfoots were hand-painted more than once. Dry-sanding or scraping that paint yourself sends lead dust through the house — don't.
Lead is only a hazard when disturbed, so on a painted vintage exterior the prep matters more than the spraying:
- Assume it's there. On any pre-1978 painted tub we treat the old coating as lead-bearing unless it's clearly bare iron.
- Contain, don't sand dry. Wet methods and full masking keep chips and dust inside the work zone, never airborne in the room.
- Strip safely. Old paint comes off with contained chemical stripping, not a power sander.
- Seal it over. The fresh primer and acrylic-urethane topcoat lock the old surface under a bonded, non-leaching finish.
See the difference
A clawfoot tub, before & after
Rated 4.8 across 154 reviews
What Sunnyvale customers say
★★★★★Our clawfoot tub came with the Cherry Chase house and looked it — rust at the drain, no shine left. They refinished the inside white and matched a soft grey on the outside. It's the best feature in the bathroom now.
— Eleanor M., Cherry Chase
★★★★★I didn't want to lose the original cast-iron tub in our Heritage District bungalow. They restored it in place in a day and the chip at the rim is completely gone. Far less than buying another antique.
— Trevor H., Heritage District
★★★★★Old roll-rim tub in a Washington Park rental. They handled the rust, sprayed it glossy white, and gave me the warranty paperwork. Tenants love it and I kept the character of the place.
— Sandra L., Washington Park
Good questions
Clawfoot & antique tub FAQ
What's the difference between reglazing, refinishing and resurfacing a tub?
Nothing — the three words describe the same work: bonding a fresh coating to the existing tub instead of replacing it or dropping in a liner. On a clawfoot we strip, etch and spray the original cast iron, so the antique stays and only the worn surface is renewed.
Are you licensed and insured to work on an antique tub?
Yes. Sunnyvale Bathtub Resurfacing is fully licensed and insured, and we carry liability coverage on every visit. Each clawfoot job leaves with a written warranty and a one-page care sheet for the new finish.
Do you need to remove the clawfoot tub to refinish it?
No. We refinish clawfoot and antique tubs in place. There is no plumbing to disconnect and no 300-pound cast-iron tub to wrestle down a Cherry Chase hallway — we mask the room, set up containment and spray on site.
How long does antique cast-iron tub refinishing last?
A professionally refinished cast-iron tub lasts 10–15 years with normal care. The original iron is structurally sound after decades; it is only the worn glaze on top that we replace with a fresh acrylic-urethane finish.
Can you fix rust and chips in an old porcelain tub?
Yes. Surface rust around the drain, chips at the rim and worn-through spots are ground out, filled and sanded flat before any primer goes on, so the finished glaze reads smooth instead of patched.
Is there lead paint on the outside of an old clawfoot tub?
Often. About 60–70% of painted exteriors on pre-1978 tubs carry lead-based paint. Don't dry-sand or scrape it yourself — that releases lead dust. We contain the area, strip old paint safely, and seal the surface under a fresh non-leaching topcoat.
How long does the job take and when can I use the tub?
Most clawfoot and antique tub jobs are finished in a day. The new finish cures 24–48 hours after the final coat, then the tub is ready for normal use and we re-caulk before that window closes.
Bring your Sunnyvale clawfoot tub back to life
Send us a photo and we'll quote the interior, exterior and any rust repair on the spot. Most vintage tubs are done in a single visit.
Mon–Sat 8 AM–6 PM · Fully licensed & insured