The quest for a cast iron tub

Long before my shop was a reality, I knew that one day I’d have a cast iron claw foot tub on display in the the front window of a shop. 
When your vision comes to fruition, that is quite an amazing feeling. 

Have you ever noticed that when you are not in the market for something, you see it everywhere, but when you’re looking for that perfect claw foot tub, suddenly they are non-existent. The few I found were either in really rough shape or more than my budget was willing to spend, remember, I’m not even sure what I’m doing here, I’m plowing forward and hoping for the best.

There were a few that I found online but communication with the sellers was frustrating, and at least 5 tubs fell through. Finally I found one! Pretty good shape (not a lot of rust), no chips in the porcelain, the feet were perfect and it was within my budget! 

Now comes the hard part, picking it up and getting it to the shop. From everything I read, cast iron tubs weigh between 300-500 pounds on average! This is not a 1 man job, it’s more like 4. We rented a trailer and met with the seller. He had a lift to put the tub in the trailer! 

Now we were able to start the fun part. We got it home and I used a wire brush to get all of the loose paint and rust off the tub. Scrubbed the inside & was pleasantly surprised to see that all of the stains cleared up and the tub was ready for paint. I left the tub on the trailer for the cleaning, that tub wasn’t moving yet. 

We grabbed a couple of our kids to unload the tub at the store. 4 people and thankfully a wide enough doorway. 

After wiping the tub down with a damp cloth, it was ready to be primed. Open a window or door when using enamel primer & paint. Those fumes are potent! 

Looking good!

I was going for a classic look for the tub, so the outside is painted with a flat black enamel with white claws holding a black ball.

Next comes the fun part, filling the tub with bubbles!

This is were my vision was going to be either amazing or a total flop.

How does one make a realistic bubble bath in the front window of a store? Polyester fill, clear balls & fairy lights.

So how did it turn out? AMAZING! I am so happy with the way it turned out. What do you think? 

Every bathtub should have a crystal chandelier too

Come visit Olive My Skin at 8 Main St, Redding CT 06896

www.olivemyskin.com