Dreaming of Our Claw Foot Tub.

I once confessed to John that I'd likely purchase a home based solely on the presence of a claw foot tub. Who's with me?
 

When he looked at me sideways and began spewing all the rational reasons people actually purchase homes, I glazed over, laughed off my silly confession and neatly folder my claw foot dream away.  Little did John know, over the years, I've secretly made hundreds of dreams into origami dove, like some patient-Buddha-folder, and now I'm letting them all free in Content. Poor John, yah me!

There's something nostalgic and sweet about a claw foot tub that makes even the simplest of bathrooms feel glamorous. I imagine myself after a long day of being awesome, in my beautiful claw foot tub (...relax this is a PG blog), hair up in a towel, quietly (no kids yet...) sipping a glass of rosé, penning my memoirs in a leather bound journal.

At least, that's what I thought my claw foot dream looked like until John reminded me that it was his bathroom too and whatever tub I'd dreamt up better be big enough for his 6 foot self to fit in... Record scratch... Wait, what? My bathtub dove just broke a wing.

To heighten my addiction, Pinterest is abound with beautiful claw foot tub inspiration. I currently have a "secret" board dedicated entirely to claw foots and articles on how to refinish them.



Pinterest via MarthaStewart.com



Pintetest via Apartment Therapy



Pinterest via 702parkproject

It's a secret board because I'm obsessed, you get it. I'll move on.

So, we bought Content. and alas, no claw foot tubs. We did, however, have a couple gaping holes where very large, hot tub time machines once lived. That being said, we had room to reconfigure the bathroom layout. 

I had a plan. Hit Craigslist hard. Find an old tub already refinished and have them drop it off. Fill it with bubbles and jump right in. Price was no object, I needed a fix! 

I first contacted the Tube King of Long Island, NY. The use of capital letters in his ads made me uncomfortable, but he was clearly from royalty, seemed to know more than I did (beyond my tenure of pinning) and I needed a fix, bad!

The King dropping knowledge:

For the restoration i Do not use The same Refinishing Products that inHome & other refinishers may use.. My Products are Chemical/Abrasion resistant & are Heat Treated.. With proper care can Last as Long as you own it!. using Best Quality in refinishing products in the industry (NO Epoxies, Enamels, Urethanes Acrylics, Car Paints, Boat Paints, ETC)

Each tub he advertised, that I liked, I emailed about. A lengthy response would come back, including a ton of pictures, descriptions, and pricing mostly for items already sold. BUT, if I found another tub for sale, had it delivered (to Long Island), the King would happily refinish the tub for $1,300. Thanks but no thanks, Tub King.

A dozen Craigslist ads & replies later, I finally found Dan in Manahawkin, NJ. Now known exclusively (between John & I) as Smiley Dan because every line of a text corresponds with Dan ended in :). A cheerful salvage guy, Dan posted these pics and I was smitten.

The ad was for a vintage, 4 1/2 foot, slipper tub made by American Standard.

Smiley Dan and I chatted for a bit over details, price and delivery. I was fortunate that the interior of the tub was in awesome condition, likely stored upside down for many years.

First, Dan quoted me $325 for the tub and $40 for delivery. I asked Dan if he would throw in two antique, goose neck lamps he also had posted, and we called it a deal. 

I then requested a quote to have Dan deliver the tub to a professional refinished in South Jersey, but when the refinisher quoted me $1300, I quickly reconsidered honing my painting skills in the backyard.

So, here's the fruits of my prepping labor over several weekends. Nothing too glamorous about 5 hours of sanding, paint tape, white primer and Rustolium, but I think its going to look amazing in the master. What do you think?

Prepping for primer

Sanded and primed

Starting to paint

The tub will be centered on the windows. I used this ladder to help me visualize the dimensions.

There's a few more steps (rough plumbing inspection, hardwood floor patching, etc) in the bathroom reno before we can install the tub, so stay tuned for future posts to see the finished product!