Have Your Clawfoot Tub Painted in the Colors of Your Favorite Team

By Alan Knight

A number of years ago we got an unusual call from a young lady in Atlanta, Georgia who wanted to purchase an antique clawfoot bathtub.  After giving us the size she needed, she added that she wanted it refinished in the colors of her favorite college football team, the Georgia Bulldogs.  She actually drove down to watch the color process.  True to our word, we refinished the tub in red and black, and she loved it.  Instead of having it shipped home, she wanted to take it herself in the back of her SUV.

It Started with a Customer who Loves the Georgia Bulldogs

Not long after that, we decided to refinish a clawfoot tub in the colors of the Auburn Tigers.  The inside was done in navy blue and the outside was in orange.  We took the tub to a game and set it up outside at a tailgate spot.  We filled it with ice and loaded it with beer and other beverages.  Everyone that passed by (and it must have been thousands) loved it.  That's a great way to advertise.

Clawfoot Tub in the colors of the Jacksonville Jaguars
(Photo Credit: tubking.com)

Spring practice is going on for most college football teams across the country.  Soon they will have a scrimmage game called the A-Day Game or the Spring Game, and tens of thousands will attend.  Football is already in the air, and we're still officially almost five months from the first kickoff of the season.  If you're a college grad, you probably have your own pride and affection for school colors.

Clawfoot Tubs Come to us From All Over for Refinishing

The antique tubs that we refinish are often brought to our warehouse in Jacksonville, Florida from customers in various states.  We even had a father and son that brought a tub to us from Canada.  They left it at one of our bay doors and proceeded on to south Florida.  On the way back they picked it up, completely refinished in their colors of choice.

Additional Product Lines

In addition to custom coloring clawfoot tubs, there are many different things that we do in our bathtub business.  We sell

The Artisan Series Clawfoot tubs

“new” reproduction cast iron and porcelain bathtubs that we import from other countries.  That would include the Slipper series, the Double-ended, Traditional Roll Rims, and Pedestal tubs.  Often, customers  request that we refinish the exterior of the new tubs in a color other than white.  The legs of the tub offer several options.  They can come in chrome, brushed nickel, oil-rubbed bronze, or any one of five hundred colors.  The inside of the tub (the porcelain) is normally left as the original porcelain (white).  In recent months, we have also created an Artisan Series such as the hammered copper or the hammered silver finish on the exterior.

Safe Senior Walk-in Bathtubs are High on Baby Boomer List

One of our Boomer-approved Walk-in Tubs
 (Photo Credit: tubking.com)

We also sell the senior Walk-in Bathtub.  This has been one of our most popular introductions to date.  The senior market, with the massive baby boomer population, has given us their own request, and that is for a tub that is safe (to remove the fear of falling in the bathroom) and therapeutic (to help with aches, pains, and the treatment of many medical conditions).  We sell and ship them all over the world.

Introducing Our Newest Product Line

Our newest product line is Safety Suite Showers.  They

One of our Safety Shower Suite

are designed to expand any bathroom with an open concept and a more modern design.  The shower is fully tiled and reaches (with walls and floors) to over six feet.  The additional safety fixtures including the stylish grab bars, some which double as paper roll stand, towel rack and shelving, as well as sinks, and toilets to complete a beautiful picture.  A major feature is being able to step or roll into the shower, without stepping over a tall threshold.  The low- and/or zero-threshold even makes it wheelchair accessible.

Refinishing  to Create a Family Heirloom 

This tub will outlive most of us.

Normally, the antique tubs that we refinish are brought to us by families who have had them in the family for a long time.  They have a certain sentimental value.  Many of these old tubs have been around for a hundred years.  We take them and carefully restore them to their original beauty.  That means we not only refinish the outside of the tub in the color choice of the customer, but also the interior.  That part is a little more complicated.  It means doing a lot of repair work on the porcelain since the old tubs often have chips, scratches, cracks and even missing porcelain.  The process used to restore it involves not only spot repairs, but also creating a new surface.  This is done by applying proprietary cleaners to both clean the tub and etch the tub.  After making the surface more porous, an aerospace primer is used to attach itself to the surface and make it more receptive for the topcoat.  If an interior color other than white is requested, the primer must be tinted to match a shade of the requested color.  After two coats of the primer are applied, using a high volume, low-pressure spray system in our special spray booth, the unique color choice is applied using the same spray system.  The topcoat color is a special mix of polyurethane acrylic enamel with industrial colorants to make a perfect color match.  The surface is extremely durable, chemical, and stain resistant.  The finished product is a remarkable reproduction of the original, with your favorite color choices.  The exterior, which is cast iron, can be done in the same color or a different one. The same is true for the legs of the tub.

Short testimonial on a refinishing job.

The great thing about the refinished antique approach is the cost.  For just a few hundred dollars, you can have a true family heirloom restored in pristine condition.  All the memories associated with the tub are now enhanced.  Instead of a tub lying in a field gathering rust, you now have something to be proud of and a family heirloom for the next generation. 

Watch this short testimonial video.

Colors can make a huge difference in your bath choices.  Whether you want to introduce your school or favorite team colors to your bathtub or just decorate a bathroom with a matching colored tub, have some fun with this.  If you want to change the color in a few years, that's another option you have.

In this article, I shared information about the ease and usefulness of being able to color antique and new Clawfoot tubs in your college, NFL team or designer colors. This process is long lasting and can ensure that your family heirloom Clawfoot tub can be passed on to the next generation.

If you found this article useful, please share it with your family, friends and co-workers. If you have a comment related to this article, leave it in the Comment section of this blog.  To find more articles like this type in “Claw foot tubs” or “Tub Refinishing” in the search box.

If you’d like to receive a free copy of our Clawfoot Tub Buyers’ guide, fill out the form below.

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Alan Knight is the owner of Tub King, Inc., and SeniorBathtub.com  in Jacksonville, Florida. He has many years of experience in the antique and senior bathtub industries. HIs companies not only provide superior products, they are also award winners, receiving the “Best of Jacksonville Chamber Award” four years running. If you’d like to contact them, call (800) 409-3375 or (800) 843-4231; or send an email to alan@tubking.com.

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What Celebrity Bathrooms Seem To Have In Common

Courtesy of blog.diamondspas.com

By Alan Knight

You might have noticed that there are quite a few celebrity homes on the market as of late.  While celebrity tastes may vary, one thing is for sure:  their homes are all over-the-top gorgeous, which makes them eminently resellable.  While the number of bedrooms and baths vary from property to property, these are homes that the rest of us mere mortals can only admire from a distance.  Let's look at a few:

Jimmy Kimmel is a very successful comedian who has excellent taste in decorating a bathroom.  The late-night talk show celeb purchased a restored 1947 home in the Hollywood Hills a few years ago with then partner Sarah Silverman.  The five-bedroom, five-bath home features an awesome master bath with a spa shower on a raised teak platform and a spectacular soaking tub that is both long and wide.  The home is for sale at the price of $2,299 million.

Check out the Slipper and Double Slipper tubs

Actress Renee Zellweger's 1770s Connecticut farm house is low-key, but extremely tasteful.  It was a very tasteful restoration with attention to detail that preserved many of the original features.  The wide wood-plank flooring runs seamlessly throughout the historic home.  It features a vintage vanity and a cast iron and porcelain claw foot tub.  Renee is selling this country charmer for a paltry $1.6 million.

Courtesy of www.pinterest.com

No expense was spared when Celine Dion and her husband built their prestigious home in Jupiter, Florida back in 2010.  The home is massive and sits along one of the longest private beaches in the state.  This palace offers 16 bedrooms and a master bath that features a vaulted ceiling, along with a huge free-standing tub that overlooks the ocean.  The property comes with its own waterpark and man-made beach, if you should grow tired of viewing the original one.  The home was originally on the market for $75 million, but can now be had for a more affordable $62.5 million.

Lots of film companies use our tubs in their movies

Super model Christie Brinkley has a tropical retreat that sits on 200 feet of beachfront in the exclusive Parrot Cay Resort.  Like the rest of the house, the master bedroom and master bath sit in their own detached pavilion just steps away from the sand.  In the master bath, there is a traditional rolled rim porcelain tub with claw feet painted white just like the tub.  She decided to place the faucet on a free-standing water line support made of brushed nickel that is centered on the side of the tub.  The home originally was listed for $10.75 million, but can be had for "just" $9 million.

Courtesy of galleryhip.com

Kim Kardashian and her husband sank $20 million on a new estate in California Hills, but then saw another property closer to family came on the market they bought it, and moved there instead.  The 8,000 square foot home built in 2012 features his and hers master baths.  The master bath features a crystal chandelier and marble floor.  It also contains an elegant dual ended pedestal porcelain tub with chrome fixtures.

Pop superstar, Adam Levine, opted for a more streamlined look in a remodeled 1940s-era ranch-style home.  The master bath features marble walls and floor along with a vintage Clawfoot tub with black exterior and oiled-rubbed bronze feet.

Courtesy of cloudmind.info

The Manhattan townhouse Brooke Shields shares with her husband and children has a formal design that complements the home's original architectural details. Renovated in collaboration with designer David Flint Wood, the master bath includes a black exterior Double Slipper tub with brushed nickel faucet and shower wand.  The tub was centered under a large window for effect.  The bath also features a custom-designed vanity by MADE and a mosaic tile floor by Walker Zanger.

If you’ll notice, the one common thread that runs through each and every celebrity bathroom is the choice of bathtub.  They choose high-profile tubs that make a statement.  Many fashion-minded and design- conscious people have discovered that the bathtub itself can really make or break the bathroom.  While not everyone has a celebrity’s buying power, believe it or not, it doesn't take a million dollar bankroll to afford a spectacular bathtub. 

For more rustically designed bathrooms, a traditional Rolled top tub can make a statement without breaking the bank.  It brings back the look and feel of the early to mid-twentieth century.  This tub can be purchased today, newly cast with porcelain interior and cast iron exterior.  Exterior colors are limitless and the legs can be purchased with a finish of chrome, brushed nickel, oil-rubbed bronze or limitless colors.  The rolled rim version comes in lengths of 48 inches, 54 inches, 60 inches or 66 inches.  And they are affordably priced  under a thousand dollars. 

One of Tub King's Double Slipper Clawfoot tubs

Another popular tub that we mentioned earlier was the dual ended tub.  It has a gentle slope on each end of the tub with a center drain and center faucet holes.  It offers perfect balance and comes with either legs in many finishes or a pedestal base.

The Double Slipper tub is a real eye-catcher.  With the high back on each end of the tub, it speaks of a more glamorous era.  The sexy lines of the tub make it one of the most popular.  It is easily designed for two people, in that it is over 72 inches long.

Customer testimonial on one of our Double Slipper Pedestal tubs

You might not be financially able to purchase one of the celebrity homes that we mentioned, unless you have a few million dollars lying around, but you can afford to decorate your bathroom to look like it’s worth a million bucks. It all starts with the bathtub.

In this article, I talked about the how many celebrities’ home have something in common. They all have beautiful porcelain, cast iron Clawfoot or Pedestal tubs in their bathrooms. Many have the beautiful Slipper tub or the elegant Double Slipper models. Usually their porcelain tub are larger, 66 to 72 inch in length, and some allow for two bathers at once. Many of these tubs are very affordable starting under $1,000.

Another happy Tub King customer tells her story

If you’d like to receive a FREE Walk-In Tub Buyers’ Guide, click here.  Or, if you’d like to receive a FREE Clawfoot Tub Buyers’ Guide, click here. 

If you have a comment, please type it in the Comment section below.  Of course, I encourage you to share this article with your family, friends, and colleagues. 

Have a question?  Feel free to contact me at the number or email listed below and I’ll personally get back to you.  Thanks for reading; it’s been my pleasure to share this information with you.

Come visit us at the Jacksonville Spring Home & Patio Show this weekend, March 5-8, at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. 

Free Shipping on all Walk-in Tubs. Click here.

Alan Knight is the owner of Tub King, Inc., and  SeniorBathtub.com  in Jacksonville, Florida. He had many years of experience in the antique and senior bathtub industries. These companies not only provide superior products, they are also multi-award winners, receiving the “Best of Jacksonville Chamber Award” four years running. To contact Tub King directly, call (800)843-4231 or email alan@tubking.com.

Get a Free Giftcard. Click here.

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Clawfoot Tubs Are Back

... and are more beautiful than ever.

By Kerry Knight

They say that all things in this world come in cycles. You know what I mean. Jewelry, clothing, color schemes, architectural designs, cars … you name it, they all have their place in the cycle of what’s coming and going in fashion. Well everything has its place in time and -- guess what? -- Claw Foot Tubs are back with a vengeance.

We recently exhibited at a Home and Patio Show.  It was a perfect environment to display our classic bathtubs, and literally thousands of people stopped at our booth, many of them taking pictures.  Some even asked if they could step into the tubs to try out the different sizes.  We were displaying Slipper Tubs, Double Slippers, Dual Ended, Pedestals, and even the old style roll tops.

We Were "The Talk of the Show"

We were really the talk of the show, and so many shared their experiences with us. A popular comment was, "I remember my grandmother having a tub like this," one recalled, "I can remember taking baths in a tub like this when I was a child, some 70 years ago". These classic cast iron and porcelain tubs can take you back literally hundreds of years in their design. Many were shocked that they were still around.  The truth is they disappeared for a long time, being replaced by fiberglass and then acrylic.  That's when people were favoring convenience and light weight solutions to their bathrooms.

But here is the good news: THEY ARE BACK!  The classic, Victorian look of the antique claw footed tub has returned to turn ordinary bathroom designs into real showcases.  But don't be fooled into buying one made of plastic or acrylic. These can yellow and even become misshapen over time.  Go back to the original:  cast iron and porcelain.  Yes, they're heavy, but they are built to last a lifetime.  I joked with people at the Home and Patio Show when they asked about its warranty. "Is a 300-year warranty enough?" Yes, the tub will outlive all of us.

While some are having old, footed tubs refinished, we can sell brand new cast iron and porcelain tubs for about the same price.  The old tubs you might find in a field around a farm house are usually rusted, cracked, and in need of more help than you can provide without spending a fortune. Don't waste your time. Or your back.

One lady purchased one of our Dual Ended tubs. It was 66 inches long with a gradual slope on each end. She commented on how comfortable it was. We placed a towel under her head as she leaned back resting her neck on the rolled rim.  "I can get used to this," she purred. I remarked, "It's much better when you have it full of warm water."  The tub is going to be placed under a huge window, so she can look out over their country property, while soaking. The faucet and drain are centered so it is a perfect set up for their bathroom.

Our Tubs  Can be Done in Any Team or School's Color Scheme

One of our Slipper Tubs at the show was done in the colors of the Jacksonville Jaguars, even down to the gold claw legs.  We explained to many that we can actually

have their tub done to represent the colors of any team, whether it's high school, college or professional.

Yes, the old look is back.  The Clawfoot Tubs of yesterday look even more modern now then.  Why? Because they bring out some classic features that people want today, like elegance, comfort, and creativity. 

In this article, I have discussed how the Clawfoot Bathtub has again become a favorite of many interior designers and the general public. Like all things in fashion, Clawfoot Tubs are back in favor. However, unlike their other fashionable brethren, these tubs can last a lifetime and their beauty is never in question. That is why you still see them in the movies and in the homes of the Hollywood stars.

If you found this article to be useful, please pass it on to your friends and co-workers. If you have a comment related to this article, please leave it in the comment section below. If you would like to receive a FREE Walk-In Tub Buyers’ Guide, click here.  Have a question? Feel free to contact me at the number or email listed at the end of this article and I will personally get back to you. It has been my pleasure sharing this information with you. Thanks again for visiting with us.  

Clawfoot tubs are Back!

Until next time.

Alan and Kerry Knight are the owners of Tub King, Inc., and SeniorBathtub.com in Jacksonville, Florida. Together they have many years of experience in the antique and senior bathtub industries. Their companies not only provide superior products, they are also award winners, receiving the “Best of Jacksonville Chamber Award” three years running. If you would like to contact them, call (800) 409-3375 or (800) 843-4231; or email them at alan@tubking.com.