Posted ByPat O'Connor on December 02, 2003 at 11:36:58:
In Reply to: bleach and enamel posted byLori Gross on December 02, 2003 at 11:13:25:
: I am renting an apartment with an old clawfoot tub. I mistakenly used bleach to clean the tub and the bleach ruined the inside of the tub. I am guessing that it is enamel on the inside of the tub. In some places it stained the tub - in others the bleach ate away at the finish, leaving a rough, rust looking stain. How do I fix this? Is there an easy way to do it? Is there any type of paint? Please help. I cannot take the tub out to do the restoration. Thanks for the help. I posted some photos on line
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Lori, Bleach is a very powerful corrosive agent, as you have found out. What you have inadvertently done is remove a layer of porcelain off the bath. This has opened the pores and allowed easy staining to happen. Once the shinny layer is broken on porcelain or enamel, it will soak up stains like a sponge. You could remove the stains, but to do that you would have to remove more of the porcelain and this will increase the problem. They is nothing that you could do to fix this unless you remove and replace the bath. We do restore baths like this in the home. You need to see the before and after pictures @ http://www.bathcrestofseattle.com/seattle/process.htm
Let me know where you are and I can give you more help on locating someone to refinish the bath for you.