Claw Foot Bathtubs - Go Vintage But Mind The Plumbing!
Many people today are moving away from the modern look for the bathroom—a look which usually entails decor mainly in chrome and steel—and moving toward something with more of a vintage feel. And one of the simplest ways to get a vintage feel to your bathroom is to use a bathtub with a style from a bygone era. And no type of bathtub gives a vintage feel better than the claw foot bathtub. This bathtub style seems to shout—or should that be “whisper”—the word “relaxation”, and that’s what people have always looked to get from their bathing experience.
Of course, most people who choose a claw foot bathtub these days go for a reproduction. These are excellent ways to get a vintage feel in your bathroom, and yet get all the benefits of modern materials such as fiberglass and acrylic. However, if you really do want the original model, and you have some time on your hands to do a bit of searching, there’s no reason why you can’t find one of the antiques models. Claw foot tubs appeared sometime in the 19th Century, and despite some of those claw foot tubs now touching 200 years old, you can still find one in good condition if you look hard enough. If anything, that shows just how well those Victorian craftsmen did their job.
These originals were made of cast iron, and as such were likely to rust. This can be seen as a disadvantage, though many people actually like the “real” vintage look this imparts. If the rust doesn’t suit you, then the exterior of the bathtub can be painted. The interior, if the bath has been well-cared for, should have a good layer of porcelain—another vintage material which adds to the effect of reproducing a bygone era in your bathroom.
Still, as mentioned, there are some very good-quality reproductions on the market nowadays. Many of these are made of acrylic, and are therefore much lighter than an antique claw foot bathtub, which as mentioned would be made of cast iron.
One of the drawbacks to having a claw foot bathtub is that the shape doesn’t lend itself well to modern plumbing—or rather the style of modern plumbing, which is to hide all the water pipes and drainage. Then again, some people actually prefer to have the pipes in full view, especially if they are the shiny copper type, as this again lends more to the antique look.
In the end, whether you choose a reproduction bathtub or go for a true original, a claw foot tub can really add an air of timelessness to your bathroom. Just make sure that once the bathtub is installed you do a good job of restyling the rest of the bathroom in order to make sure the transformation to a vintage look is complete!
Carl Formby writes for http://www.bathtubchoice.com a website packed with information on claw foot bathtubs and garden bathtubs
Tags: bathroom remodelling, bathtubs, claw foot bathtubs