The Tub King Blog - Tub Talk: clawfoot

Showing posts with label clawfoot. Show all posts

Treasure Hunting for Bathtubs

When I think of a treasure hunt, I am reminded of the ancient artifacts, items covered in gold, precious items that people hold onto and pass on from generation to generation. In order for an item to fit this description, it has to have staying power. It must be durable, important and part of our everyday life.

Check out Claw foot tubs are back

Years ago, when we first started in the bathtub business, and before cast iron/porcelain tubs were being manufactured again, my brother and I were always looking for the old clawfoot tubs, which could be refinished and sold. We would visit wrecking companies, and plumbing supply houses to see if they had any of the old tubs that we could buy and restore. Sometimes we would see tubs sitting outside of homes, being used as flowerpots. We would stop and ask if the owners wanted to sell them.

For a long period of time, the clawfoot tub had virtually disappeared. No foundries in the U.S. were casting these tubs because everyone was going to fiberglass. So, the old style, claw-footed tubs, as beautiful as they were, disappeared. Those we could find were always in high demand.

I remember delivering several antique sinks to a customer out in the country who lived in a farmhouse. We had refinished these antique sinks for him, and as we off-loaded them into his living room, I noticed a huge cast iron bathtub sitting right in the middle of the floor. It was a dual ended tub with massive claw legs. It was 75 inches long and 35 inches wide. It was extremely rare ... and I wanted it.

I asked the customer what he was planning to do with it. He said he and his wife were going to bury it in the back yard to make a goldfish pond. I quickly said, "I'll pay you $300 for it." They were hesitant, so I sweetened the pot a little. "Okay, how about $300 plus the three sinks I brought you, no charge." The couple looked at each other. The wife said, "Dear, that will pay for all our tile work." The husband thought about it and said, "Okay we'll do it." Music to my ears!

We eventually sold that tub for over $4,000. How? The tub was very rare.

Today, tubs that size and shape are being recast again. We can provide customers with the same basic tub for under $2,000. Customers like it for reasons beyond price. Since it is newly cast (new porcelain), it does not need to be refinished. The legs are now plated with chrome and brushed nickel, instead of the old cast iron legs that rusted. New faucets and hardware are readily available for the new tubs in designs that were not even available a hundred years ago. In essence, you can now own a beautiful claw foot tub that will last another hundred years without having to spend months on the treasure hunt trail. You won’t have to spend many hours and a lot of money resorting it. You can just buy and have it professionally installed it with matching fixtures, ready to enjoy, admire and use.

There has never been a better time to purchase one of these beautiful porcelain/cast iron clawfoot bathtubs. You have so many design choices and the price is extremely low. It will definitely add to the value of your home, and the hours of personal enjoyment cannot be easily measured.

In this article, I told you some of our treasure hunt stories, where we searched for old claw foot tubs so we could restore and sell them. Today, anyone can own one of these beautifully functional tubs, no treasure hunt needed. In fact, there are more choices, sizes and color combinations now than ever before. On top of that, prices are very reasonable. It has never been a better time to own a beautiful claw foot tub.

See our double slipper tub.

If you found this article useful, please share it with your friends and co-workers. If you have a comment related to this article, leave it in the comment section of this blog. If you’d 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.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 or kerry@tubking.com.

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How to Create a Glamorous Bathroom

By Kerry Knight

You've seen them in the movies and on the real estate channel when they feature the beautiful homes. All the designer magazines showcase them and, of course, the do-it-yourself, flip-that-house type TV shows mention them as well. I’m talking about the centerpiece of any bathroom: the bathtub. The bathtub can make any bathro

om glamorous and beautiful.

English: Black and white tiles bathroom (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are many home improvement TV shows today that cover every decor

ating idea, from planting scrubs to installing kitchen cabinets. Millions of do-it-yourselfers (myself included) watch them and then pack into stores like Lowe's and Home Depot every weekend to buy supplies — all in our quest to become a custom designer. Then we invite friends and family over to see just how talented we are.

In the bathroom, there are many areas where we can get creative. How about beautiful tile floors or fresh paint? Or a skylight or glass block window?

However, if you neglect the real focal point of the bathroom, the bathtub, you’re missing the mark. The old style, 60-inch, slide-in metal tub, and the one piece shower surround, are both dated. Plus, they don't really show off anything or catch one’s eye in the bathroom. Strictly utilitarian.

Think about taking out your old battle-worn bathtub and replacing it with a real show piece. For example, a Double Slipper Tub, resting just below a huge picture window, or overlooking a panoramic view of the landscape outside. Imagine how peaceful and relaxing your bath time would be. These gorgeous tubs will make your bathroom a real focal point in your home. Consider having the outside of the tub painted in your choice of color, like candy apple red or midnight blue. The tub’s legs also come in an assortment of metallic finishes, such as chrome, oil rubbed bronze, white or brushed nickel. Imagine how beautiful your bathroom will be. Even more, imagine the serenity of bathing in that beautiful tub!

The free-standing Slipper Tubs tub don't require an abutment against the wall, where it’s lost or hidden. It can stand in right smack in the middle of the bathroom if you want. All that’s required is a little extension of your existing plumbing. And if there's room in the floor for water lines and drainage, it's not that difficult to manage.

Or, consider adding free-standing water supply lines that come out of the floor and drape over the edge of the tub, where a gorgeous brushed nickel faucet hangs with porcelain hot and cold caps inserted inside the cross point handles. Then add the English “telephone faucet,” which has the hand held shower sprayer. Now you really have a touch of class.

There are other exotic porcelain tubs, if you prefer, like the Single Slipper, which comes in various sizes, or the traditional Roll Top or Dual Ended Tub. Everyone has his or her own personal taste and needs. I suggest you visit a showroom like the one at Tub King, so you can see firsthand the beauty and elegance of the tubs. You’ll get a real sense of the look and feel, and I guarantee you’ll fall in love with one of these tubs.

While you're at it, think about taking out the old bath sink and replacing it with something Victorian-looking, like a pedestal or console sink. They come in many sizes and designs, but they all take you back to times when bathing was something truly special.

Now you're ready to consider the finishing touches of live plants, wall hangings and color. Add Victorian trim to the entryway, floorboards, windows and ceilings and finally, update the bathroom door to a multi-panel one to complete the look.

Remember, your new bathtub is the center piece. Once in place, everything else follows. When finished, your bathroom will not only be something you're proud of, it’s a functional sanctuary you can escape to wash the stress of the day away.

In this article, I have discussed how the bathtub is the center of focus in most designer bathrooms. These usually have Claw Foot Tubs, or a Slipper or Double Slipper Claw Foot Tub. Some will showcase the Roll Rope Claw Foot as the center of attention. Either way, using a claw foot tub is an easy way to add beauty and elegance to any bathroom. That’s why you see them in so many movies and in the homes of the stars.

Customer testimonial for Cast Iron tub

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’d 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.

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.

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New Porcelain Tubs are BETTER than the Antique Ones

By Kerry Knight

A question I am often asked, “Is it better to buy a new cast iron and porcelain tub or to restore it to like new condition?” This is a great question, however the answer I often give is not the one people are expecting, especially if the old tub has been in the family a long time.

We've all seen the old cast iron and porcelain tubs from yesteryear, lying around gardens, farms and ranches. Many have been turned into watering troughs for cows and horses. They are rusting on the outside and pretty beat up on the inside. Good luck in finding the cast iron legs that were original to the tub. You might be able to buy a set of antique legs that fit the tub from someone that handles this for about $50 per leg. These old tubs can date back as far as the late 1880s, often with the date stamped right on the bottom of it, so the condition of the tub can be pretty rough.

Are you an Antique Lover?

Many antique lovers have gone out in search of them. A purchase of a discarded antique claw foot tub could range from $200-400. If they are fortunate enough to locate one in decent shape, they are looking at a number of refurbishment stages to bring it to an acceptable, finished condition. First, the outside of the tub, (cast iron) is no doubt, rusted or has several coats of lead paint from many years of use. The tub will have to be sandblasted to bring the cast iron back to its original form. This can be expensive, sometimes $100 or more. Then the outside must be primed and painted again so that the cast iron doesn't rust again. Left unfinished, it will rust quickly, when exposed to the elements.

The porcelain will then be the center of attention. What shape is it in? Most old tubs will have chips, missing porcelain, scratches, and deep stains, all which require professional refinishing. Most refinishers who work on this type of tub will charge $700 or more to repair the porcelain and paint the inside of the tub.

Let's add up the cost so far.

Cost of the old tub -   $400
Sandblasting -            $100
Refinishing -               $700
Replacing Legs -       $200

Total $1,400

Keep in mind, the total listed above does not include the cost of searching for a person that does sandblasting or refinishing, the hauling expense (these tubs can weigh over 400 lbs.), the agony of lifting the tub time and again, the wear and tear on your tools and the long wait in getting the project completed.

What if You Don’t Like the finished Product?

Moreover, what if, after everything has been done, you are not satisfied with the finished product? After all, we are talking about painting the tub to look like porcelain. Not all refinishers are great at what they do.

Nevertheless, let's be positive. If everything goes well, and you are happy with the result after spending quite a sum of money, what does the future hold for your antique tub? Special care for the surface will be required since we are dealing with a painted tub. Certain cleaners cannot be used. It will need to be polished from time to time. Then, after a few years (if you're lucky), you'll have to have it refinished again. Why? Because the paint will peel over time. That's what paint does. Now you're looking at spending money all over again.

Is There a Better Way?

Yes! Purchase a NEW cast iron and porcelain claw foot tub. The surface will be brand new. New porcelain. New cast iron. The legs on the new tub are not cast iron, they come in chrome, brushed nickel, even oil rubbed bronze. They even come in unique shapes; not just the traditional roll top, but also the slipper tub, dual ended, pedestal and double slipper. And most importantly, the price is comparable to the cost of refinishing an old tub, sometimes even lower. This is a no brainer. It’s one thing if you’re refinishing an old tub for a museum because you’re trying to preserve a special piece of history. It’s a whole other matter is you’re doing this for yourself. Don't waste time, your hard-earned money and your labor on that old discarded tub when you can have a perfectly designed NEW CLAW FOOT TUB for the same or less money.

In this article, I have outlined the steps it takes to restore and refinish an old claw foot bathtub. I spell out the advantages and considerable disadvantages that come with the restoration/refinishing process. I also compare the cost of this process with that of purchasing a new claw foot tub. I have provided the process that can be used to restore a historic claw foot tub so that it looks like new. I have also shown why I believe replacing the old claw foot tub with a new one is the better way to go.

If you have 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 have a question, feel free to contact me at the number or email listed at the end of this article. It’s been my pleasure telling about how we restore old claw foot tub for our clients. Thanks again for sharing this journey with us. 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.