Over time, your bathtub can definitely start showing its age. Your tub will often start getting scratched, cracked or even gouged. Eventually, enough is enough and something has to be done. You could always get a new one, but it certainly can end up being an expensive proposition:

* New bathtubs will hurt your wallet quite a bit.
* You will need to pay a professional to remove the old tub.
* And of course, you have to pay a professional again to install the new one.
* Removing and installing a bathtub can take days and even weeks, so you will have to to do without your bathtub in that time period.

Before you buy a new bathtub, examine some of the other choices available.

Alternatives To Replacing Your Bathtub

1. Bathtub Repainting: You can have your tub repainted. While DIY kits are available, it can be a tricky process, so hiring someone is usually advisable. Still, this is a relatively quick 1 day process, and easier on the wallet. It is a good way to give your tub a shiny new look, maybe even a new color!

2. Bathtub Resurfacing: Refinishing your tub gives it a new surface which can last 20 years or more. Refinishing is also usually done within a day.

3. New Bathtub Lining: A new liner can be installed over your tub, giving it a brand-new look within a few hours.

4. Bathtub Surrounds: While this does not do anything to the tub itself, the area around it looks better.

Very often, one of the above alternatives will work just fine, but sometimes, nothing but replacing the tub completely will work.