Redoing a bathroom, any way to tell the condition of the tub?

NewHomeDIYGuy

Just like the topic says.. I'm eventually going to be redoing another bathroom in the house, but the lingering question for me is what to do with the tub. Currently it looks fine cosmetically, no cracks/etc, and I'd love to just be able to not touch it and just retile all around it. Is there anything I should look out for or is it worth just replacing it because they "wear out?" The tub is an American Standard, pretty sure it's porcelain over steel, and it's original from the house built in '85. If I stand in roughly the middle of the tub, there is a tiny bit of flex, but not something I'd consider bad (but I'm not informed either).

I'll post a picture up later if you guys would like, but I was just wondering if these tubs tend to last a very long time and I can redo everything around the tub w/o issue, or it's worth replacing the tub while I'm in the process of redoing the whole bathroom..? I'm a believer in doing things right the first time, but also see no need to rip out the tub and make a lot of work for myself if it's likely fine. I do plan to change the shower diverter valve and fixture for the shower, but didn't want to touch the drain/tub itself. Thanks!

Blondesense

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Take a very, very careful look at the finish. If there are no chips or scratches, and it looks "like new" there is no reason to replace it.

On the other hand, if there are any issues at all, if someone has been using an abrasive cleaner, I can tell you from personal experience, any imperfections will jump out at you once you're done with the rest of the room.

NewHomeDIYGuy

Gotcha, thx. Appreciate the advice! The tub certainly looks "good enough" to me (doesn't have any gouges or any bad scratches/cracks I believe), but I'll go over the whole surface very carefully. I take it any minor surface scratches from using the wrong cleaner would just be cosmetic issues right? Whew.. good to hear these things last. I'd be very happy if I could just leave the tub in place and redo everything around it, as it means obviously a lot of saved time, money, and work for myself.