Posted by Has sun, weather & time turned your once beautiful wooden hot tub cabinet into an embarrassing eyesore? Fret not, I’ll show you how I transformed my ugly faded hot tub cabinet into a beautiful focal feature for under $40! Did I mention that it was also a lot of fun?
Exterior paint can give your hot tub a new lease on life, and you get to pick from dozens of colors. Customize your hot tub to match your patio furniture, or the trim on your house – the options are endless! I couldn’t decide at the store so I bought a sample size of two colors: redwood and light gray. I also purchased a small container of black paint to touch up the base on the bottom of the hot tub which had become scuffed with age.
Here are all of the materials I picked up for this project:
You’ll need painter’s tape to prevent any paint from getting on the acrylic hot tub shell.
By brushing on a small amount of each color on my hot tub cabinet, I was able to determine that I preferred the redwood color over the light gray.
Here is the finished product! It took 2/3 of a quart of paint and 2 coats to completely cover my 89” square spa.
I am no longer embarrassed for guests to see my hot tub, and am proud to say I refinished it myself! So, do you like the color I chose? Comment below with your thoughts on this Hot Tub DIY project!
Interested in restoring the natural wood appearance of your hot tub cabinet instead? See: Restoring Wooden Cabinets with Linseed Oil.
Hot Tub Blog | SpaDepot.com 
This is really really cool!
LikeLike
Excited to try this on my new to me hot tub!
LikeLike
very nice
LikeLike
I’m working on this right now. Thanks.
LikeLike
Good information! Thank you!
LikeLike
Need to do this next spring
LikeLike
Most hot tubs are not made with a wooden cabinet. How do you paint a synthetic wood-look cabinet?
LikeLike
Hi Lisa,
Before repainting your composite hot tub cabinet you will need to make sure that it is thoroughly cleaned and that any sort of top coat or gloss is removed.
You can apply a solution of one part bleach and three parts water to the composite and let it sit for 20 minutes. Scrub the solution with a long handled brush, and then rinse it off.
Next you will want to remove any gloss by gently sanding with very fine sandpaper. If the composite is textured, sand in the same direction as the wood grain. After this, you will want to rinse your tub again to remove any dust.
Lastly, prime the composite with stain-blocking exterior latex primer, allow the primer to dry, and your hot tub cabinet will be ready for paint!
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks,
Bonni
SpaDepot.com
LikeLike
very good blog as well as very good information about the Wooden Hot Tub Cabinet.we are very happy read this article.
LikeLike
Hi as I live in the U.K. What type of latex primer can I use and then what type of top coat paint can I use on the composite hot tub panels
Regards
Dave
LikeLike
Hi Dave,
Composite paneling does not easily accept paint, but it can be covered if careful preparation is used.
Remove the panels if possible, to lay them flat for best coverage. Use gloves, eye-wear, and a mask when using any cleaning or paint products.
First, clean the panels with a strong degreaser/cleaner, such as Tri-sodium Phosphate (TSP) or a bleach solution. Thoroughly rinse and dry the panels.
Lightly sand the panels with a fine grit sandpaper for maximum adhesion. Thoroughly rinse and dry the panels again to remove any dust.
Use a primer and paint meant for restoring old decking (one that is suitable for composite decking). This type of paint can be found in the deck stain section of your hardware store. Alternatively, an exterior stain-blocking latex primer & paint will work.
Let me know if you have any further questions or comments.
Thanks,
Sarah
SpaDepot.com
LikeLike
Did you send it before painting?
LikeLike
Hi yog,
For this project, we did not sand the cabinet prior to applying paint.
Thanks,
Rosy
SpaDepot.com
LikeLike
What is the preparation prior to painting or sanding? What cleaner did you use etc
LikeLike
Hi,
If your cabinet is in fair shape, use a pressure washer (don’t get the tip too close) to spray off the cabinet. That will be enough to get all the dirt and other grime off. If the cabinet surface is smooth after washing, you can skip sanding and move right onto painting. Just make sure to tape off the acrylic shell, you don’t want to get any paint on that.
Thanks,
Brian
SpaDepot.com
LikeLike
How do you recommending repairing any chipped or cracked parts of the composite panels before painting?
Thanks
LikeLike
Hi,
Depending on the type of composite panels you have, you could use a product like Plast-Aid or a different type of epoxy to fix cracks or chips in your panels prior to painting.
Thanks,
Brian
SpaDepot.com
800-823-3638
LikeLike