How to Refurbish a Clawfoot Tub

Creative Bath 3-Pc. Bath Storage Set

Do you have the good fortune of having a vintage clawfoot tub in your possession, or perhaps you haven’t yet realized just how lucky you are to have one of these cast iron treasures? I was thrilled to find an affordable old tub, and when I purchased it, I certainly had to use my imagination to try and picture its potential. I have to admit that after I had the massive beast of a tub standing in my dining room, intimidation began to set in. I tried to search for online advice about refurbishing it, but I wasn’t very successful in finding much helpful information.

So, I decided to stop by a local architectural salvage store to buy a set of old porcelain cross handles for the faucet, and the owner of the store was more than happy to give me advice on how they refurbish their clawfoot tubs. There were at least three trips to the hardware store downtown where I received great tips on stripping the many layers of paint from its exterior surface, and most importantly, I was given a safety precaution rundown on how to correctly handle and use paint stripper.

Tools:

Old paint brush: for applying the paint stripper & oil based primer

Another decent paint brush to apply the finishing coats of paint

• Plastic putty knife
• Painter’s plastic drop cloth
• Wire brush
• Crimped wire cup brush attachment for a power screwdriver
• Paper Towels

Safety gear:

• Goggles
• What You Should Know About Using Paint Strippers
• Chemical resistant gloves
• Old clothes: long sleeve shirt and pants

Products:

• Mineral Spirits to clean the oil-based paint off the brushes
• 32 oz container of gel paint stripper (talk to your hardware store associate to get advice on the type of paint stripper that will work best for your project and to get safety information on how to properly handle and use it.)
• 1 qt Oil-based primer for rusty metal
• 1 qt Matte latex paint: choose the color wisely (I found a paint that claims to be mildew resistant)
• 10 oz Craft store metallic paint

Steps towards achieving a stellar looking tub finish:

Do be prepared to spread these steps out over a week or so. The entire project took me approximately 3 hours. You need to be patient and allow everything to properly dry before moving on to the next step.

1. The area must be well ventilated before you begin anything, and you will need goggles (protection for your eyes) and chemical resistant gloves (ask your local hardware store clerk to point out gloves that are safe to be used for paint stripping). Paint stripper will burn your skin, so don’t attempt this without gloves, trust me, and please read all the safety precautions before opening the container. Make sure the floor around the tub is well protected, too.
2. I used a gel paint stripper, and a plastic putty knife to scrape the goopy paint residue off the tub surface. You also must look into your local hazardous waste disposal requirements before disposing of the paint goop. My tub had 6-8 layers of paint on it; I just kept reapplying the gel until I reached its original surface. I brushed the gel on the tub surface with an old paint brush, no sense in destroying a good one. Now you must wait for the product to infuse with the paint and bubble up. The specified time it needs to stand is notated on the paint stripper’s instruction label. I then scraped the paint gook off with a plastic putty knife. My tub took about 5 applications of the paint stripper, and with it being over 60 years old, you can imagine how many layers of funky colors I discovered along the way.
3. After I reached the original tub surface, I wiped the surface as dry as I could with paper towels. Then, I gave it a night to sit and allow the remaining paint stripper to dry.
4. I used a wire brush to smooth out the tub surface and to try to remove as much rust as possible. For the clawfeet, I worked with a fun spinny, crimped wire brush attachment for my power screw driver to get into all the tiny grooves.
5. Very important recommendation: the primer needs to be oil-based! Other wise you will need to go back to step 2 again like me. My 1^st priming attempt was with a latex primer, and it bubbled up and immediately began rusting. So, another visit to the hardware store, and another discussion on paint choices, sent me home with a can of oil based primer. I chose a brand that is specifically utilized for “Rusty Metal.” Make sure you prime the feet, too. You will need to wait a minimum of 24 hours for the primer to dry, and if you want to use the paint brush again, it needs to be cleaned with mineral spirits. Oil-based paints will not clean up with soap and water, but they will make an excellent mess of your sink.
6. You may now paint the tub with a regular latex paint after the primer. It is best to go with a matte finish paint, as a glossy finish will amplify any imperfections in the surface when light reflects off of it. For the feet I used special nickel colored paint that you can find at a craft store. The spray paint options out there are kind of cheesy, and I discovered the craft store paint gave a much more authentic looking finish.

I took this whole endeavor on as a first time home owner, but this project is something that ambitious apartment tenants could possibly take on. Do discuss everything with your landlord first. Many times landlords will provide you with the supplies they have on hand for these types of ventures, and they will reimburse you for additional materials they don’t have. If you have a particularly outstanding landlord, you may even be able to negotiate and lower a month’s rent for the hard work you have provided them. After all, you just improved their property. If you are a home owner, you will save yourself a lot of money by doing this yourself, and you will up the value of your home. These old tubs give a special added charm to your home. Be sure to take before and after pictures of your restoration process, because it is truly rewarding to compare the before pictures to your end results.