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The most important thing that you can do is to make sure that the surface to be refinished is as clean as you can get it. We will be cleaning the surface as part of our process. However, we find that the finished product is improved when the surface is reasonably clean when we get there. You can be aggressive in your cleaning, as we will be etching the surface later.

Any fixtures (drains, faucets, etc.) that are going to be replaced should be removed or replaced before we get there. You should be aware that we offer a new drain inlay which is installed directly over you existing drain. The drain looks great and is an excellent low cost alternative for drains that have been in place for many years and may be difficult to remove. The drain inlay can be installed at the same time we refinish your bathtub.

We can also apply a permanent non-skid application to the bottom of your bathtubs and showers. This will protect your family and result in you not having to use a bathmat. Bathmats trap water on the tub and will prematurely wear away the new finish if not used properly.

However, we will be leaving you some information on the proper type and use of bathmats upon completion of the work that you can share with your tenants. We will also be leaving some information on the proper care and cleaning of the new surface.

We will need to have electricity and water available to us. In addition, there should be no other work being done in or near where we will be working.

Bathtubs/Sinks/Showers/Vanity Tops

• Give good cleaning. Best to use a soap film remover or Comet/Ajax and a Scotch-Brite pad. Be sure to rinse thoroughly
• Repair leaky faucets and leaks behind handles before we arrive. (if applicable)
• Remove all items that are out in the open in bathroom. (Example: shampoo bottles, toothbrushes, glasses, hair products) They can be taken out of the bathroom or placed in a drawer or cabinet. You also should also take pictures etc. off the walls
• Remove anything that you will need for the day from cabinets.

Kitchen Countertops

• Give good cleaning. Best to use a liquid dish soap de-greaser with a Scotch-Brite pad
• Remove all items from the countertop. You also should take down pictures etc. off the walls.
• Remove anything that you will need for the day from cabinets
• Turn off gas to stove if pilot light is always on (if stove is not self-igniting)

You will need to move stove and/or refrigerator out of kitchen or well out of the way if you want to have us completely refinish the edges of countertop. Otherwise we will refinish the area of the edges that are visible. We will make sure that you will not able to see any of the old countertop under normal circumstances.

Tile

• Give good cleaning. Best to use a soap film remover or Comet/Ajax and a Scotch-Brite pad
• It is best if you remove the toilet tank if we are to refinish the tile in back of the toilet. You do not have to remove the entire toilet. If you do not wish to remove the tank, we will tape off the tank and refinish all the tile that is visible
• Be sure that grout is in good repair (we can take care of small areas that are missing)
• Remove all items that are out in the open in bathroom. (Example: shampoo bottles, toothbrushes, glasses, hair products) They can be taken out of the bathroom or placed in a drawer or cabinet. You also should also take pictures etc. off the walls
• Remove anything that you will need for the day from cabinets
• Repair any loose tiles, etc... (If applicable)

Things to be aware of

1. The chemicals that we use in our process have a strong odor. This odor is not dangerous – just annoying. The only way that it would be dangerous is if you were standing next to us while we were spraying and breathing in the wet vapors over a long period of time.

The smell is most intense for 2 to 3 hours after we have finished. We add a bubble gum scent to our coatings. This is what you should smell after the initial 2 to 3 hour period. Depending on your sense of smell, you should no longer smell anything after 12 to 24 hours.

We also use a ventilating system for larger jobs that will take much of the fumes and exhaust them out of a door or window. If we are refinishing just a bathtub or a sink, closing the door and running the exhaust fan and/or opening the window will be sufficient. Once again, the fumes are not harmful, but you may want to have pets or small children as far away from where the work is being done as possible.

The odors are created while we are applying the finish coat, which is at the end of our process. So you don’t need to take any precautions until then. You can ask your technician for an approximate time when he arrives.

2. A part of our process is to mask and paper off the areas around the item to be refinished. You should be aware that in most cases we will need to leave the tape and paper up when we are finished. The reason for this is that we don’t want to risk accidentally coming in contact with the newly refinished surface while it is still wet. Also, we don’t want to risk kicking up any dust that may settle on the new finish.

So you will need to tear down the tape and paper. You should do this within 4 – 24 hours of the work being completed. Your Surface Renew technician can advise you as to the proper way to tear down. Be sure to let us know if this will cause any problems for you.

3. Please let us know as soon as possible if you cannot keep your appointment. Our technicians are scheduled and cancellations affect their ability to earn income if we are not able to find another appointment to send them to due to a cancellation on short notice.