cleaning bath tub surround

sunday joe

sunday joe

New member
Apr 15, 2011
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Does anyone have any idea how to clean/polish a bath tub surround ? From about 2 ft. above the top of the tub to the ceiling it is okay. The first 2 ft. is not very smoothe. I'd like to have it all smoothe.
 
What type of tools do you have to work with? Do you have any kind of polisher? Is the tub surround plastic, fiberglass or some other material? Was the surround originally smooth and now rough? What has made it rough, soap scum that is still on there, hard water mineral deposits, rust or has it been scrubbed with something abrasive like Scotch Brite scrubber pads? In order to get some good suggestions you'll need to give us some more information about your tub surround.
 
I have a 6'' wax spreader. I believe the material is fiberglass. It was originally smoothe and now rough. I think soap scum has made it rough although i'm not certain of that, the previous owner used it for 12 yrs. the water is soft. I don't know about scrubbing with Scotch Brite. I think it is just time accumulation that has caused this. We now squegee after using.
 
I would suggest that you first clean the surround with a cleaner such as Tilex to remove any remaining soap residue then get one of these wool bonnet kits for use in a drill, here's an image of what I mean.

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You can pick one of these up at any auto parts store such as Advance or Auto Zone.

Use a rubbing compound such as 3M Heavy Duty Rubbing Compound that can likely also be purchased at the same place that you get the wool bonnet and backing plate kit. Stay away from the cheaper liquid compounds such as Turtle Wax as they will not be aggressive enough to cut it.

Tie your bonnet tightly to the backing plate and prime your bonnet well with the rubbing compound so that 100% of the face of the bonnet is working for you. Work in 1 foot squared sections and spin the bonnet against the surround in slow overlapping passes until you achieve your results. Just like buffing paint on a car except with the fiberglass you won't have to worry about the resulting heat burning the finish as the fiberglass is a really tough surface.

If you end up with a hazy finish you may want to follow the compounding step with a finer polish but I think you'll be happy with the results from the compounding step. I have done this many times and it really makes the surround look nice. I even top the surround with a paint sealant as it makes it look even nicer and stays cleaner longer.
 
I've polished all faux marble countertops/surrounds in my last house the same as auto paint. I used 2000g/compound/finish polish/sealant with a rotary buffer. Also did Corian kitchen counter tops. Lots of dusting in enclosed areas so dust mask and plastic sheeting is a good idea.
Wouldn't hesitate to do it again. It makes them look new, and shinny.
 
Took semi-permanent water spots off a friend's fiberglass tub/shower with my GG, an orange cutting pad and an aggressive compound, followed by a white pad and polish.

As Dave said above, try it in a small spot before going all Martha Stewart on it and you should be pleased with the results.
 
Its threads like this that made me choose Polishing Made Simple for Mikes 1st ebook :)

I hope Mike and Yancy see things MY WAY :idea:
 
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