Before & after · Berkeley, CA

Before & After Gallery in Berkeley, CA

Real Berkeley fixtures, before and after a single day of work — cast-iron tubs, fiberglass showers, sinks, countertops and tile. Same camera angle, no swaps.

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Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–5:30 PM, Sat 9 AM–4 PM

Est. 2014 · a Berkeley refinishing studio

Refinished glossy white cast-iron bathtub in an Elmwood Craftsman home, Berkeley — Elmwood cast-iron tub, the morning after a reglaze.

What you are looking at

Every pair below is one fixture photographed before we touched it and again once the acrylic-urethane topcoat had cured. We shoot from the same spot, on the same lens, so the after is an honest read of the same tub or tile rather than a staged stand-in. No fixtures were swapped, and nothing here is a stock photo. The wear in the before frames is what Berkeley's older housing actually hands us — a gray, worn cast-iron bottom in an Elmwood Craftsman, crazed almond gelcoat in a 1980s West Berkeley apartment, a chipped pedestal sink in a Le Conte bungalow.

Use the gallery two ways. If you are deciding whether your own fixture is worth saving, find the pair that looks closest to what you have and you will see roughly where it lands. If you have already decided and want to know what a finished job looks like up close, the after frames show the gloss, the clean edges and the fresh re-caulk you should expect. On a phone, tap the Before / After toggle on each pair; on a wider screen both frames sit side by side.

Cast-iron bathtub — Elmwood

A 1920s cast-iron tub in an Elmwood Craftsman, enamel gone gray along the bottom with a rust stain at the drain. Etched, repaired and resprayed in one afternoon.

Worn gray cast-iron bathtub with rust at the drain in an Elmwood Craftsman home before reglazing, Berkeley — Elmwood, 94705 — cast-iron tub reglazed in a single afternoon.

The same Elmwood cast-iron bathtub with a glossy bright-white refinished surface, Berkeley — Elmwood, 94705 — cast-iron tub reglazed in a single afternoon.

Fiberglass shower — West Berkeley

A dated almond fiberglass shower stall in a 1980s West Berkeley apartment, the gelcoat crazed with fine spiderweb cracking and a yellowed pan. Scuff-sanded and sprayed white.

Crazed almond fiberglass shower stall with a yellowed pan in a 1980s West Berkeley apartment before refinishing, Berkeley — West Berkeley, 94710 — crazed gelcoat shower sprayed back to white.

The same West Berkeley fiberglass shower stall refinished to smooth glossy white, Berkeley — West Berkeley, 94710 — crazed gelcoat shower sprayed back to white.

Cast-iron sink — Le Conte

A chipped vintage cast-iron pedestal sink in a Le Conte bungalow, white enamel chipped to dark metal near the faucet with a rust streak under the tap. Reglazed and color-matched.

Chipped cast-iron pedestal sink with rust streak in a Le Conte bungalow before reglazing, Berkeley — Le Conte, 94703 — pedestal sink reglazed, chips and rust gone.

The same Le Conte cast-iron pedestal sink reglazed to smooth bright-white, Berkeley — Le Conte, 94703 — pedestal sink reglazed, chips and rust gone.

Cultured-marble vanity — Claremont

A yellowed, etched cultured-marble vanity top in a Claremont home with a dull worn ring around the integrated sink. Repaired, primed and resurfaced to an even satin white.

Yellowed and etched cultured-marble vanity top in a Claremont home before refinishing, Berkeley — Claremont, 94705 — cultured-marble vanity refinished, yellowing gone.

The same Claremont cultured-marble vanity refinished to an even satin warm-white, Berkeley — Claremont, 94705 — cultured-marble vanity refinished, yellowing gone.

Bathroom tile — Thousand Oaks

A dated pink 1950s ceramic-tile wall around a tub in a Thousand Oaks home, grout darkened and the glaze dull. Cleaned, bond-coated and reglazed to a clean warm-white — no tear-out.

Dated pink 1950s ceramic-tile bathroom wall with darkened grout in a Thousand Oaks Berkeley home before reglazing — Thousand Oaks, 94707 — pink tile recolored in place to warm-white.

The same Thousand Oaks ceramic-tile bathroom wall reglazed to a clean warm-white with crisp grout lines, Berkeley — Thousand Oaks, 94707 — pink tile recolored in place to warm-white.

What to notice in the after frames

Look at the edges first. A good reglaze leaves a crisp, clean line where the tub meets the wall and a fresh, even bead of silicone re-caulk — no thick, gummy lip and no overspray on the tile. Next, look at the surface in the light: a properly sprayed acrylic-urethane topcoat reflects evenly, with no orange-peel texture and no dull patches where prep was rushed. The gloss should read like porcelain, because the finish is doing exactly what the original glaze did. On the tile pair, the grout lines stay legible rather than disappearing under a flooded coat, which is the mark of careful masking and the right viscosity.

If your fixture looks like one of the before frames, it is almost certainly a candidate for refinishing rather than replacement. The only honest exceptions are a fiberglass shell cracked all the way through or a steel tub rusted past the metal — and even then we will tell you straight. Want a number for a fixture like one of these? See the full price list or send a photo when you call.

What these owners said

The before photo of our Elmwood tub was embarrassing — gray and rusty. The after looks like a brand-new fixture. Same tub, same bathroom, one afternoon.
— Tomás R., Elmwood

I almost ripped out the crazed shower in our West Berkeley unit. So glad I didn't. The after frame is exactly what mine looks like now.
— Lena K., West Berkeley

Want your fixture to look like the after frame?

Mon–Fri 8 AM–5:30 PM, Sat 9 AM–4 PM. Fully licensed & insured, with a 5-year written warranty.

Call (510) 746-8748 Book online