Resurface versus retile a shower

[Kevin S.]

I've got a tile shower that is original to the house (so 1975) that really needs to be refreshed, the tile is not the best color and the groute is discolored or missing in places. I wanted to see what the BP community's take was on having the shower resurfaced versus having all the tile ripped out and replaced. Has anyone had experience with resurfacing? Was the cost truly a lot less than just replacing the tile and do you think it was worth it?

[Will Gaston]

@Kevin S. I've done it several times with my student rentals and it's worked out well. 

Much cheaper and will last quite some time (maybe 5-10 years?) as long as you have someone who does great prep work. Definitely would recommend erring on the side of hiring the more expensive company on this project. It all looks the same when it's done no matter who does it. But you won't know if they've done a good job until many years after they've cashed their check so make sure you use somebody who knows what they're doing.