Make Resurfacing Last: The 24-Hour Rule and a Care Card for Residents

Resurfacing a tub can save up to 90% compared with replacing it. It's one reason 360 has resurfaced more than 5,000 units. But the savings only hold if the new finish lasts, and after our crew leaves, two things decide that: what happens in the next 24 hours, and what the tub gets cleaned with after that.

Rule one: 24 hours, hands off

A resurfaced tub gets an epoxy- or urethane-based coating, and the coating needs time to set. 360's standard is a 24-hour drying period, with no housekeeping or any other service in the unit during that time. Refinishers outside 360 give the same instruction: Miracle Method tells its customers to wait 24 hours before using a refinished surface. The same 24 hours apply to resurfaced showers, tile and countertops: no water, no cleaning, nothing set on the surface.

The rule usually breaks in ordinary ways:

• The housekeeper arrives the morning after a late-afternoon resurfacing and wipes the tub down.

• A maintenance tech runs the shower to test a new valve.

• A move-in is set for the next morning, and the new resident showers that night.

The fix is in the schedule, not the coating. On your make-ready board, give the bathroom a full day after resurfacing before the final clean, and never book resurfacing the day before a move-in. Then mark the unit so everyone with a key knows. A strip of tape across the bathroom door does the job.

Rule two: watch what it gets cleaned with

When our crews resurface a tub damaged by a previous resident, it often needs an acid strip first. The usual causes are discoloration from suction-cup bath mats, yellowing, hair-dye stains, and cracks or chips.

Read that list again. The damage that added an acid strip to this turn is damage the next resident can repeat, unless someone tells them how to care for the tub.

The same goes for your own team. Housekeeping and maintenance carry the strongest cleaners on site, and abrasive cleaners and pads can dull or scratch a refinished surface.

The care card

Copy this into your move-in packet and your housekeeping instructions:

• Wait 24 hours after resurfacing before using the tub.

• Clean gently. Mild soap and water or a non-abrasive liquid cleaner, with a soft sponge or cloth.

• Skip the harsh stuff. No bleach, abrasive powders, harsh acids, scouring pads or steel wool.

• No suction-cup mats. Use a mat without suction cups, and lift it after each use so the surface dries.

• Keep hair dye off the finish. Rinse and wipe the tub dry after each use.

Care instructions vary by coating, so if the crew that resurfaced your tubs gives you different ones, follow theirs.

When a finish does fail

360 resurfacing carries a 12-month warranty. If a finish bubbles or doesn't dry properly, that's a workmanship problem, and we come back to fix it.

Every job is photo-documented, and the before-and-after photos stay with the work order in the Customer Portal. If a tub looks wrong three months later, you can see how it looked the day we delivered it before anyone has to argue about the cause. If you spot bubbling or peeling, send a photo to your account manager or open a request in the Customer Portal.

Still deciding whether a tub is worth resurfacing at all? Our resurface-or-replace decision tree covers it in four questions.

Put the card to work

Add the care card to your next move-in packet this week. When you have tubs, showers or countertops to resurface, schedule them with 360 through your account manager or the Customer Portal. New to 360? Call 1-833-360-RENO (7366) to get resurfacing priced for your next turns.